On Tue, May 09, 2017 at 02:10:25PM +0100, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
it's quite simple: this is a list where topics are discussed in-depth. top-posting that breaks the context makes it REALLY hard for people to follow a complex or comprehensive discussion. making other people work harder at understanding and following isn't on.
if however there is like a throw-away comment (more a personal discussion or just a quip / joke) then i'm happy to tolerate top-posting.
generally i think people get it right, but if anyone feels that someone's made their lives awkward by breaking the context, PLEASE say so immediately.
I normally in-line post, because that seems to be the most effective way to communicate in a complex situation, but I've found one exception: When the new text is not really a reply, but a framing comment intended to alter the context in which a previous messgae should be read.
This is remarkably rare.
-- hendrik