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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!cbosgd!mhuxj!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uokvax!lmaher
From: lmaher@uokvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Overhelpfulness in 2.10.2
Message-ID: <4100005@uokvax.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 24-Oct-84 11:30:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uokvax.4100005
Posted: Wed Oct 24 11:30:00 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 29-Oct-84 02:13:46 EST
References: <890@opus.UUCP>
Lines: 35
Nf-ID: #R:opus:-89000:uokvax:4100005:000:1661
Nf-From: uokvax!lmaher    Oct 24 05:30:00 1984

> /***** uokvax:net.news / t4test!chip /  6:23 pm  Oct 22, 1984 */
> As I have seen, three features have been questioned:
>   2)  Including original articles in a followup with '>' marks.  
> 
> I agree with the gripes behind the second point.  That is why I have
> added a '-f' flag to surpress the original article in a followup.
> Also, a '-m' flag may define what mark you want.  Including the
> original article in a followup is an important feature.  It should
> remain there, but a method for getting around it (other than deleting
> lines in the editor) should also be available.  

I think this is exactly backwards. The flag should be required in
order to include the original article, not to suppress it.  It's
the inexperienced users that don't know about flags.  I've
already seen several cases of entire articles being quoted
verbatim by inexperienced users.  More often than not with a
one-line comment as well.

Notes has the 'w' command to write a response, and the 'W'
command to write a response and include the text, without the '>'
marks.  A user who can't do a 1,$i/> shouldn't be in the editor
anyway. :-)

This brings up the entire topic of "how do new users learn to use
the system?"  Perhaps the netiquette file posted to
net.announce.newusers should be readable with a news command,
like help.  At the *very* least, new users should have the
newuser group pointed out to them - many sites don't do this, so
why not have the news software check to see if this is their
first time ever to read news, and if so direct them to the
documentation.  Perhaps with a short quiz afterwards. :-)

Carl
{allegra,ihnp4}!convex!ctvax!uokvax!lmaher