Re: reading color quoted replies
There are many factors in how people behave. Interoperability of
personal preference ranks low for most people. Has no one ever asked
you how you can stand not reading e-mail in full blazing GUI glory?
I said this is a matter for developers, not for users, because
developers (and administrators) are responsible for setting up users'
capabilities and defaults and ensuring interoperability. I suspect most
users would be fine with > quoting, if that were the default. Since
it's not, they don't use it. But even if it's a chosen setting, it most
often aligns with what they like the look of, not what they understand.
It's a lot to ask of many people that they frame their workflow around
issues they don't understand or want to understand, just because
I pitched them a set of reasons that I said were logically sound.
Non-enthusiasts just want it to work with a minimum of fuss and
configuration, and if it looks like it works to them, then it works.
Have you worked in direct user support? For each professional or
enthusiast, there are hundreds who just use computers as a tool, the way
you would use a hammer or a gas oven. Few people want to modify their
ovens, even if oven engineers have suggestions for how to do it.
I don't disagree with your rationale, I just don't think that training
everyone else to think "right" isn't very practical as a solution to
interop problems. Let me know when you convince them all, though, and
I'll pay for drinks. :)
--
-D. dgc@xxxxxxxxxxxx NSIT University of Chicago