* Bo Peng ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) [05 Sep 2002 11:40]: [...] > I do not see anything wrong with quoting the whole message. It is a > good reference if the reader need to read it or it can be ignored > easily.
But I already have the previous messages. I can press P and read them. A much better reference is the appropriate text spliced by the reply. That way, I get immediate context for the reply rather than having to flip to the bottom of the email, which could be quite long and thus several pages down and then back up. > I do not think bandwidth is an issue too. The picture I sent yesterday > would have cost the bandwidth of 1000 emails' quoted text. But you weren't sending that picture to 1000 people. How many people are on this list? Multiply the size of your email by that number. Then, assume a thread that has gone on for a while. Start using factorials to calculate the bandwidth use. Anyway, to cut to the chase, it all gets bigger. The key is not how much bandwidth you use, but how much you waste. I have no doubt that your picture was appropriately important. I have to question, however, the importance of, say, this email having the text of all previous emails within the thread. Needless. P ( <parent-message> ) is your friend. All in all: it's a debate that has gone on for quite some time. Those experienced in the Internet have a preferred way that they have arrived at from experimentation and empirical analysis. Those inexperienced in the net just use whatever they think of. Eventually, they learn. cheers, -- Iain.
