[OT] Why do people detest top posting so much?

[Scott Abbey]

On Wed, 2009-02-25 at 21:31 -0500, Michael Haney wrote:
> Being new to the community of Linux users and having seen what people
> on the outside think of us I can sadly say that this sort of thing
> only serves to perpetuate the mystic people outside the Linux
> community believe.  That mystic is that we're fanatical fanboys/girls
> with really short tempers who fly off on a hissy fit at the slightest
> provocation and have no tolerance for whatsoever for noobs.  Indeed,
> there are people, even here, who are like that, but its not something
> that's exclusive to the Linux world.  Being deeply involved in the
> anime community I can tell you there are people like that there also,
> but because there is so much animosity between diehard Windows and
> Linux supporters our community is put under the microscope so to speak
> more so than the anime community ever is.  In other words, when a few
> bad apples cause trouble it makes all of us look bad.
> 
> So bad attitudes towards people top posting rather than bottom posting
> or sarcastic replies to newbie questions or people who post in HTML
> only serves to prove what the Windows fanatics say about us. 

I've only rarely seen either of those behaviors. Usually the way these
threads go is that someone top posts out of ignorance, and someone
replies with a "please don't top-post," the OP replies, "Oh, sorry. I
didn't realize..." and the issue dies unless someone else (not usually
the OP; ie, a troll) comes in and starts a flamewar over it. The
standard in this community is bottom-posting. Just deal with it.

> I mean, why would people want to try Linux if its user community whom
> they might turn to for technical help and questions is hostile towards
> newbies?  Think about it.

I agree that manners can go a long way. However, it would serve critics
well to remember that subscribers to this list volunteer their time to
help others with their problems. They have no obligation to help; they
do so out of their own good will. If you come to this list seeking
assistance, the least you can do is conform to the expectations of those
providing the (free) assistance. Regardless of your opinions on top or
bottom posting, etc., the rules of this list are clearly spelled out at
[1]. The least you could do is read them. I know when I first got
started with Linux (and the internet in general), I made it a point to
observe the customs of any community I was entering prior to
contributing to the conversation. That's called good manners. Don't try
to force your preferences on an established community with established
expectations of behavior and then whine when they call you out on it.
That's rude.

> The Linux Community, especially the Ubuntu User Community needs to
> start policing itself and punish those who are chronic troublemakers.

It does. The Code of Conduct is enforced when necessary. The irony is
that those who seem to cry the most about it are amongst the most
egregious offenders. 

What's your definition of a "troublemaker?" Someone who points out when
someone is breaking the rules?

The Linux community, and the Ubuntu community in particular, are amongst
the most welcoming people I've ever dealt with on the internet. They/we
are more than willing to help out people new to the community. Just play
by their/our rules.

  [1] http://www.ubuntu.com/support/community/mailinglists/etiquette

-- 
Scott Abbey <scott at eotr.net>