"HTML" Posting Tags, was Top-posting shenanigans

From: Roger Merchberger <zmerch_at_30below.com>
Date: Fri Feb 25 15:15:35 2005

Rumor has it that dvcorbin_at_optonline.net may have mentioned these words:
> > a) Pretty fonts?
> > What does that improve for email?
>
>Readability, Emphasis, Organization [imagine reading a newspaper or
>magazine is EVERYTHING was 10pt Courier....

Straw man argument. 1) This is not a newspaper or magazine. 2) How does
pretty fonts improve organization? *Emphasis* is /easy/ in ASCII. And tell
me how <FONT SIZE=1>Readability</FONT> or <FONT SIZE=6>Readability</FONT>
improves readability? Especially for those who run Pine (not the best,
IMHO, I'm a Mutt fan myself... ;-)

> > b) Text in colors?
> > What does that improve for email?
>
>Emphasis again.

_Emphasis_ is not difficult in ASCII.

> > c) pictures?
> > You get that now via attachments...
> > but pictures on mailing lists is bad mojo no matter what.
>
>Most list List do not support attachments....

The ones that do may allow them for *judicious use*. When you do not use
that power judiciously, you still waste the donator's bandwidth, not to
mention that of the individuals subbed.

_Assuming_ that mailing lists disallow pictures / attachments would be foolish.

> > d) Tables?
> > You can do that now with tabs.
>
>You want to try to align a significant table?

Have. Quite often. 80-column tables on a 40x16 screen on my Tandy 200. *not
hard.*

>Jays bandwidth issues I can readily agree with. Within the US [and I am
>well aware that this is an international list], the number of places where
>broadband is not available at a fairly reasonable price is becoming almost
>insignificant.

Then you seem to don't give a frell about a goodly chunk of the US. I just
*happen* to live in the US, and our entire *ISP* is fed by a 6 megabit
pipe. Yes, the whole damn ISP. The best I can get at my house is ISDN,
which I still must share with my wife (She does need a phone, after all) so
I'm limited to 64Kbit unless it's the middle of the night. Oh, we (the
city) only got ISDN 5 years ago, BTW.

DSL got here 4 months ago, Cable (Charter) came in 2 weeks ago, but that's
Uncle MickeySoft, and neither of which are available where I live yet (yes,
*well* within the city limits, and in a fairly populous area).

>btw: Although I am listed on this list with a cable modem e-mail, it is
>not the only nor fastest connection Ihave to the net. If I am doing
>significant work, I remotely access a machine at my datacenter and have
>full access to multiple fiber channels [DS4 or better].

You don't *want* to see DS3 prices here. 2 years ago, the *entire city* was
fed by a single DS3 -- We're talking voice, data, everything. I think we
have 2 now.

Did I mention I live in the US? ;-)

Anyway, I'm done. Just because *you* are lucky enough to have access to
multiple DS4's, happybigfunday for you. Assuming most of the US has the
same access is just plain frelling stupid.

Regards,
Roger Merchberger.
Received on Fri Feb 25 2005 - 15:15:35 GMT