[GreenKeys] Re: LINES OF YELLING

[Web Williams]

Hi Don and others,

As an ex-printer, one of the things that was taught to us very
early in the game was that all caps was very hard on the eyes
for "most" people. Proper capitalization was stressed, as well
as the use of serif fonts, to make things easy to read. I'm relatively
sure this isn't where this came from (the universal agreement on
the internet that all caps is considered "yelling"), but studies have
shown that a lot of advertising print in all caps is ignored a lot of
the time because it is difficult to read, while proper capitalization
is read more often instead of skipped because it is easier on the
eyes.

I find it curious that TTY machines used all-caps, but I suppose
this had to do with 5-bit code instead of 8-bit code? Or possibly
for ease of manufacture? I'm sure the answer is in the history
books somewhere, but I'm not so interested as to take the time
to look it up. In any event, telegram messages were pretty expensive
back in the day when compared with snail-mail, and it probably
would not have mattered to the reader 50 years (or more) ago if
the telegram would have been all caps or all small. People are so
petty these days.... I find practically all the messages on the Greenkeys
list so enjoyable to read, that I just don't care if they're in all caps
or not!

Kindest regards, -Web Williams in Myrtle Beach, SC

>Date: Wed, 5 May 2004 09:49:56 -0500
>To: greenkeys@mailman.qth.net
>From: Don Robert House <drhouse@nadcomm.org>
>Subject: [GreenKeys] LINES OF YELLING?
>
>It is interesting that "SpamAssassin"  considers all CAPS or UPPER 
>CASE to be "YELLING"
>
>I often use all UPPER CASE for reading clarity and because 
>teletypewriter messages were in UPPER CASE.
>
>Please do not consider all UPPER CASE as "YELLING!"
>
>Don
>  
>