[clue-tech] list netiquette

[Matt Gushee]

Collins Richey wrote:

> 1. It would be a really good idea (tm) if folks would trim their posts
> when quoting to the minimum required to maintain context.

I hope noone needs an explanation of what Collins means about 
maintaining context. Seems pretty clear. But I'd like to add a thought 
about why it's particularly important to follow these rules on a list 
like this one (as opposed to, say, corporate communications, where there 
may even be valid reasons for top-posting).

Consider this: when you Google for info on a Linux problem, what do you 
very often get at the top of the results? Old threads from the mailing 
list archives of Linux users' groups much like ours, right? Well, I've 
always found--and I'm sure I'm not alone--that those threads are most 
helpful when they read like a conversation: that is, quotes and 
responses appear in their natural order, with extraneous passages 
snipped out.

So the point is, even if you and the person you're responding to know 
exactly what your response is referring to ... it's not a private 
conversation. Your questions and answers on this list are part of the 
knowledge base for the whole Linux community. Ideally, someone who has 
never met you should be able to Google up your thread several years 
later and find a clear description of the problem, one or more proposed 
solutions, and how the problem was eventually solved.

--
Matt Gushee
Englewood, CO, USA