Rant on netiquette (was: Re: [thelist] Please trim, please don't top post.)

[Michael Pemberton]

Liam Delahunty wrote:
> Two things have began to really irk me in recent days/weeks with this list.
> 
> 1. Top posting. [a]

There are many reason why I find Top Posting easier to read.  I often 
don't get a chance to read every thread that starts on thelist, but if I 
see an interesting comment, I then go back and read the previous posts.

This is not as easy to do when you need to try and work of who wrote 
what because the answer is mixed in with the email that they are 
responding to.  This also applies, but less so, to Bottom Posting.

> 2. Lack of trimming. [b]

Some of us don't have constant access to our email archives.  This is 
the case for myself when I am out of the office.  It is sometimes useful 
to have more of the previous post available to remind me of what has 
been said.

This, however, does not excuse the lack of signature removal that can be 
seen on some recent posts.

I guess I am just saying that lowest-common-denominator is not always 
the most useful for all parties.  For those that choose to get a digest, 
they do so at their own "risk".  In a community of web developers, it is 
like saying that we should all go back to using lynx to browse the web 
and frown an anyone who uses more recent browser developments.

I know this may annoy some people out there (if not most :P), but I have 
a fast enough connection to my email service, that I don't need to worry 
about the few extra Ks a large email will cause.  I find it interesting 
that a community who are such regular users of a technology are often 
the same ones who are paranoid about putting it under load.

<tip author="Michael Pemberton" type="Backing up CD ROMs to DVD">
Recently, I have had a need to consolidate some of my backup methods. 
This has meant that my data backups are now being done to DVDRW media. 
But this raised some interesting issues when it came to making backups 
of my CD-based media.

Some CD content was not easily able to be converted to work with the DVD 
method.  It meant I would either keep making CD backups, and keep track 
of an ever-growing pile of discs, or find a way to back up my CDs to the 
new system.

The solution turned out to be fairly simple, by creating an ISO or 
BIN/CUE of the CDs, it is possible to make a perfect backup of 5 cds to 
1 DVD.  Through the use of Virtual CD/DVD Drive software, it is then 
possible to load the images onto a PC and the user doesn't know the 
difference.

It also meant that some of the content that previously required 
extensive swapping of discs can now have all the CDs copied a single DVD 
and then use they can load each CD as needed without physically swapping 
media.
</tip>

-- 
Michael Pemberton
evolt at mpember.net.au