Teaching python to non-programmers

[Chris Angelico]

On Fri, Apr 11, 2014 at 5:09 PM, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info> wrote:
> On Fri, 11 Apr 2014 13:59:00 +1000, Chris Angelico wrote:
>
>> I have seen plenty of cultures where people are unaware of the value of
>> interleaved/bottom posting, but so far, not one where anyone has
>> actually required it. Not one.
>
> I've been in plenty of mailing list forums where interleaved posting was
> required, but there's only so many times you can tell people off for
> being rude before you start coming across as rude yourself.

Oops, I worded that badly. What I meant was "not one where anyone has
actually required top-posting". There are places where bottom-posting
is expected/required, there are places where nobody cares enough to
complain, but I've yet to meet any where bottom posting is actually
forbidden.

>> "Norm" here just means "the thing people
>> are too lazy to not do". That's not a reason for anyone else doing it.
>
> I'm not sure what you are talking about. As far as I am concerned, the
> norm here absolutely is interleaved posting. Nearly all of the regular
> posters use it, have have done so for the decade or so I've been here.
> Interleaved posting requires more, not less, work -- that's one of the
> appeals of top-posting: it makes it easy to avoid editing your post for
> sense and readability, you can just bang on the keyboard and fire off
> whatever your first thoughts were, never mind actually answering the
> questions you were asked.

Right, and I'm glad that the norm here happens to be the better
option. But the reason for advocating it is not "everyone else does
it", but "it's the better way".

ChrisA