[sclug] TopPosting Was: Helping others into FOSS/Linux

[Patrick]

Darren Davison wrote:
> On Wed, May 4, 2005 9:39, Patrick said:
> 
>>The reason Microsoft and commercial email clients top post is that
>>usability studies show this is how people like it.
> 
> 
> There is a significant number of people who certainly don't like it that way
[...]
A significant but tiny minority.  Outside of the geek world, no-one cares.

[...]
> Of the people who use MS/Lotus clients, most do so because it's either
> supplied with the OS they had chosen for them, or was supplied by the company
> they work for.  A large numberof 'Doze users (the majority?) are not even
> aware that choices exist - let alone what they are.  If you're implying that
> there are commercial forces at work here at the *end user* level, I'd suggest
> that to be fairly naive.
MS Bob died on contact with users as did Smart Tags and Channels in 
Internet Explorer.  Remember Hailstorm? The original .Net passport? Push 
technology?  Users still make the key decision "Will I bother to use 
this or not?" and if they choose not to, MS or any other developer is 
forced to change design in order to get thier product used.

> 
[...]
> 
> The more interesting question to me is why do [top-posters|non-trimmers]
> compose email responses in a way that they would never dream of composing any
> other form of written communication?
Because its easy.  These computer things are all about making life 
easier.  Anything that goes against this trend is like hitching a horse 
to a Toyota.
> 
>