[ILUG] quotes in messages

[Niall O Broin]

On Mon, Oct 07, 2002 at 12:27:10PM +0100, Darragh wrote:

> Could you do me a huge favour, please don't put quotes before your reply.
> It means that people using screen readers have to read the same message
> twice before getting to your message.

But the problem is that putting quotes BEFORE the reply is exactly the way
in which the brain handles things best, as here - three lines of text quoted
from you, marked as quoted with  >  as is normal, so a reader knows that
what follows pertains (or should :-) ) to the marked text. If instead I put
my comments about somebody else's message before what I'm referring then
when you first read my comments they'll not make any sense (Kevin - DON'T !)
because you'll have no context.

I can see that a person using a screen reader has major problems with those
users who quote an entire message before replying, and in the worst case say
"Me too!" but those of us who don't use screen readers have problems with
those too - of course we can cut to the chase somewhat more quickly.

The issue of only quoting the amount necessary to make your point has been
brought up again and again here and on every other mailing list in known
space, I'd imagine, and barring the institution of capital punishment, I
don't suppose it'll go away any time soon.




Niall