re hot to documents and bootdisk

[Steven Vollom]

On Friday 20 February 2009 16:09:43 Nils Kassube wrote:
> Ray Burke wrote:
> > Nils,
> >
> > what do you mean by this "It would be nice if you would stop top
> > posting."
>
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style>
> <http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/mailinglists/etiquette>
>
>
> Nils
I don't know where your cursor appears when you click reply, but if it doesn't 
appear above the reply, you are moving it there yourself.  If you are doing 
that, it is top posting.  I used to do it, too.

The guys that help us, read through thousands of emails to get to the ones 
they can help with.  As a result, by top posting you force them to read 
irrelevant data, unless your post is something they can help you with.

They don't get paid to help us; it is kindness on their part, so one thing you 
can do to help them help us is to not top post.  Another is to delete all the 
irrelevant portions of your answer to their answer.  For instance if three 
paragraphs of your question do not apply to what you are responding to after 
getting help, and you are replying to something the helper misunderstood, 
simply delete all the irrelevant paragraphs, in fact, everything that isn't 
relevant, signatures, dates, greetings, etc., to shorten your reply.  This 
saves them having to re-read unnecessary material and they will use the time 
to help others in need.

I am still learning to properly trim messages, but I am trying, so at least I 
am trimming some of what should be removed.  If I were smarter or more 
experienced I would save them more time that I still waste by improper 
trimming.  They never complain after the process of learning has started 
because they notice I am trying.  Those of us who make the most errors are the 
ones who need help most, so they get used to our names and notice our 
progress.

It is quite unusual for me to post help to another.  I simply an unsure of 
myself.  Nonetheless, the other day, I posted a solution to a problem.  
Apparently I did it right, because one these marvelous people who helps us 
wrote a comment to my personal address, off the list.  He said he was smiling, 
because I was now contributing, and apparently properly so.  I am anxious to 
help like they do.  They are genious'.  To know so much is worth a lot of 
money, and they give it freely to us.

In the future you will see a time when your long 10 paragraph request is 
trimmed to perhaps 3 or 4 words and then your response.  What a kind thing you 
do for people who are providing you with FREE perhaps $150 per hour help.  In 
time you will come to love these guys.  They are the best of us.  And Nils is 
one of the very best.  He is kind enough to point out to you something you can 
do to help.  His references to wikipedia are a way for you to do the work you 
should be doing to help yourself.  It saves him having to make an unnecessary 
reply, and it helps you find things for yourself that don't require taking time 
from the list.  That is a special gift, because by teaching you how to help 
yourself, you become more expert in the use of Linux.  I hope my unrequested 
reply is not offensive, I just am trying to help. 

These seven paragraphs would have been required by Nils to get this point 
through, when the link allowed someone else who has written it already to 
serve you.  He could help 3 or perhaps 4 people in the time it took me to 
explain.  If this helps, you don't have to reply, even with thanks.  If it 
doesn't, I hope that it does not anger you.  I am just trying to help you too.

Steven