[AMRadio] Reply-trimming and 'for-sale' responses

[John Lawson]

On Sun, 13 Aug 2006, W5OMR/Geoff wrote:

>
>

[text snipped]

>
> That sounds like the best idea, yet.  The list still has traffic, the listing 
> of items for sale is in it's own area and *both* of the resources could be 
> utilized.
>
> Great idea!


   The concept of 'trimming reply text' is, IMHO, a Great Idea - and I 
think that the root of this discussion is not so much that there exists 
"for sale" traffic, but that a certain minority of Listmembers cannot, or 
will not, go the extra step of highlighting and deleting the mass of 
already-read-by-everybody text, when adding thier input (be it ever so 
frugal as a classic "Me too!"). or when (inadvertantly??) replying on the 
List to a "For-Sale" post, that probably should have gone to the Seller 
only.

   Then, naturally, the rest of the Trimless Club also reply in kind, 
generally with a one-liner, at the top of an ever-concatenating cascade of 
old and mouldy text. It's just plain irritating. Of course, merely 
mentioning this, in however a polite and defferential manner , brings 
howls of wounded sensibilities, complaints of heavy-handedness, and 
threats to "take my Dakaware knobs and go home...!"  And it was ever thus 
- as anyone who has ever been a member of a Ham Club that got hijacked and 
destroyed by the "power-hungry" and/or "political" types.

   I'm admittedly very biased in this regard, having had an Internet 
presence going back before the WWW (remember Gopher, WAIS, and 
Archie/Veronica?) and various on-line accounts about ten years before 
that... it used to be a matter of bandwidth and byte-stream conservation, 
when 14.4Kbps was blazin' fast and expensively rare, and when many users 
paid for thier Internet access by the *byte*.

   Also, I may be in a minority of one here, but I use PINE under a Unix 
shell account to read all my mail....  so to take care of proper 
reply-orientation and message-trimming, I have to do it all manually.

   Kinda like tuning my transmitters up.

   If Y'all can maintain and operate Boatanchor AM gear, then trimmimg 
excess reply text shouldn't oughta be such a Problem....  again, my own 
opinion, flame away (privately) if you wish.


   Lastly - I think posting things For Sale here is a 'good thing' - 
whether it be direct to the List or a link to amfone, etc. - it keeps 
scarce and desirable items 'all in the family' so to speak, rather than 
going to a high bidder who will get your meticulously-restored and 
perfectly-operating classic radio back home to Seoul, then strip the knobs 
and tubes, and trash the chassis....  ;{}


   These be my 200 millidollar for a Sunday morning....  now to get my Old 
Valiant out on the bench and see what puked in the final tank circuit. 
Again.   grrrrr...!


   Danke Mucho to the List Admins who put in so much invisible effort - 
I've been there, done that, no desire to do it again... !

   Thanks Brain and Paul!!!


Cheers

John  KB6SCO
Valiant, Ranger, Elmac AF-67
R-390, R-390A, R-388
(20-V2, and/or BTA-1R1 soon, someday...?)