[HLUG] HTML-only eMail & 'Top-posting

[Mark Broadbent]

2008/9/10 Christopher Evans <reactiv8 at hotmail.co.uk>:
>
> Matt/All,
>
> I apologise if I have erred replying to other posts, however I would like to make a few points 'in my defence':~
>
> I noticed some time ago that Hotmail repeatedly asks me to 'update' my version of Fire Fox
> although I am already using Fire Fox3 (in Mint Elyssa). I did not deliberately send HTML-only
> eMail - Either this is Hotmail or mailman 'morphing' my eMails, which have never before caused
> any problem or 'offence' ... I had noticed earlier that my post about meeting venues had been
> strangely 'compressed' making it much harder to read ...

I think in this case it's more mailman doing a bad job of converting
your e-mail into plain text.

> I was not aware that some of our members read our forum 'on the move'. In future, I will edit my
> replies by removing all the 'extraneous' information and previous posts presumably generated
> by mailman? It would also be 'reasonable' if others did so to ...

I don't believe mailman appends any extra information to the end of
the e-mail, I think the contents were part of the digested e-mail that
you had replied to.

> I do do not read email using Mutt, Pine, Pidgin, Thunderbird or any other email client. I am
> however in the process of making the 'transition' to Googlemail, and later today I'll re-register
> with LUG - If this is allowed? - This very thing is actually frowned upon by other forums, so it
> seems I can't win - Again. ...

I can't see why people would have any problems with that, e-mail
addresses are very fluid with people using many different ones and
changing regularly.  I think in the mailman interface you can change
the e-mail address you are using without having to
unsubscribe/resubscribe but I'm not certain about that.

> As for 'Top Posting', I went to some lengths to avoid my other thread being confused with the
> one about meeting venues, so if mailman has mixed these up that is not my fault. It was
> intended to be mildly humorous, but it seems I got that wrong too - :lol: Why can't we have a
> proper forum as so many others do, with multiple threads arranged by a mutually agreed and
> understood taxonomy? In future I must remember: One thread at a time, and no humour ...

Well forums would bring a whole different collection of problems (I'm
thinking admin related)... I'd like to think that once a mailing list
conventions (not rules) have been explained then it makes writing to
the mailing list a much easier.  There are people who go overboard but
it's simply a case of keeping the conversation organised so that it's
easy to read which benefits everyone.

BTW a sense of humour is allowed here, I promise.

> For those who love rules and regulations I can happily introduce you to one of your kind in Lingen - You should get on like a 'house on fire' - I'll provide the 'matches', if you'll pardon the mixed metaphor?!?
>
> Anyway, I frequently have to take 'flak' from various sources and fortunately I have a pretty 'thick
> skin', so I can 'take it', but on this occasion I think I am innocent.

I think you can take heart that the problem that started this off was
actually a technical one that could not be foreseen by you.  The
thread that resulted was a more general discussion about mailing list
conventions not directed at you specifically (that's the way I was
responding to it anyhow).

Thanks
Mark