To Frank Rosenbaum

Big Rich Soprano spake thus:

Um, that's why the sig's supposed to go at the *bottom*.

No, of course you don't *have* to read it, wade through it maybe, but not read. But, if you expect me to bottom post my responses, then yes, you do. I am not 'super literate' about the ways and intricacies of the computer and use most programs stock. When I press the 'reply group' icon, my cursor appears above my sig with all the "stuff" below. Then I type my response. That said, however, you can press page down and get to the stuff you really want to read. Or, if you are really peeved by it, place me in your filter and you won't have to be troubled by my presence any more. Unless of course you read someone's response to something I wrote.

I am not trying to be nasty, but I really don't see what the problem is.

Frank, that's not a good idea, especially if they are Microsoft programs, or programs written for Windows. MS is not particularly concerned with security, for example, so all its programs have one or more insecure default settings. That's why they keep sending you updates and security patches. (I hope you've set your machine to do "Automatic Updates", BTW.)

You can and IMO should learn enough about each program to reset the defaults to their most secure settings (which in some cases means disabling some settings entirely.) Even if you save yourself one bad incident by doing so, it will have been worthwhile.

This a default setting so that you can decide whether or not to post your comments within the previous post, or at the bottom. Sometimes you want to comment on several parts of a previous post. The logical way to do that is to insert your comments in the appropriate places. That's why the cursor starts out at the top: the program designers assumed you will move the cursor to where it makes the most sense to "start typing."

The problem is that a newsgroup post is part of a conversation. It's easier for other participants to follow the conversation if you bottom post, and often even better if you place your comments into the previous post, as I have done with yours. It will be clear what you are responding to. It makes it easier for other readers to understand your point(s). And I think you do want to be understood, right?

Some people new to newsgroups don't include or quote any of the previous post. Now that's dumb. How can you expect a reader to know what you're on about if you don't quote?

BTW, I very rarely include the complete previous post - just the parts that I'm responding to. Saves clutter, makes it a little easier for the reader to understand me.

Hope This Helps (HTH).

I don't want to be rude to you Wolf, but I really don't see what the big deal is weather I post on top or not. Isn't it the content of the post that is important? ......................................

Yes -- and that's why including context is important. Without the context of the other guy's post, it's difficult and even impossible to know what the aitch is intended. Most of the time, you need just a sentence or two to set the context. As I said, it's to make it easier for the person who's reading your post. The first and most important rule of composition is "Write for your audience." Oh yeah, there's stuff about grammar and spelling, too, but that's what professional writers have editors for. :-) (I used to be an English teacher in a former life.)

BTW, I don't know how you've set OE, but I just bottom posted this, and your sig and everything below it simply doesn't show up in my compose window. I had to cut'n'paste to include your final sentence above. Curious.

Your own sig should be attached automatically to your post, it should not show in your Compose window at all. "Bottom posting" means after the other guy's post, not after your sig.

Re: "I just looked at the Tools/Options menu and could not find any way to change where my sig goes. If you know of it, please tell me and I will change it."

The sig should be at the end of your post. AFAIK, you can't put it anywhere else. Some programs enable you to create a number of sigs, set one a default, or select a specific one for a specific post or e-mail.

HTH

Frank (and everyone else reading this), I used to post here in R.M.R. several years ago and my replies were always in the same format (your looking at it ! :-).

In essence, I quoted just enough to remind him of what he did say and enough of a reply to answer/suggest/condem what he did say, any leftovers were deleted.

One thing I don't do is quote the entire message and post just one line, that's fer lazy people !!.

Alan

(325+ extra lines snuffed...)

Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Wolf. However we have gotten way off topic of the off topic post. It was only about my top posting, not middle. I will agree to allow you to middle and bottom post if you will allow me to top and middle post. If you wish to continue this I think it best to take it to email. However, I am not interested in continuing.

Or maybe just let myself be driven from the group. . . NAH.