Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site fortune.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!mit-eddie!whuxle!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!fortune!crane From: crane@fortune.UUCP (John Crane) Newsgroups: net.general Subject: Readability Message-ID: <2298@fortune.UUCP> Date: Tue, 24-Jan-84 01:15:23 EST Article-I.D.: fortune.2298 Posted: Tue Jan 24 01:15:23 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 19-Jan-84 01:37:09 EST Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA Lines: 50 It seems that whatever the means of communications there will always be those who say the comm line is being abused. I notice that this is particularly so with the network. Personally, I think the net is one of the last free (meaning libertarian not costwise) means of communication left in this society and as such should be open to all commers. However, those who gripe about others clogging the net may have a valid point when they look at a lot of the trashy-looking messages that come down the pike. Don't some of you people know what W H I T E S P A C E is? How about breaking up some of the long paragraphs? How about evening up some of those right margins? A tab or return is only one character. Will you really begrudge your reader a little less eyestrain as the cost of more machine and storage efficiency? It's no longer true that machine time or most costly than that of human beings? This memo is written with the Rand editor and so has a built-in text justification feature. If you are using this program put the cursor somewhere in a paragraph and type: just n Where "n" is the number of paragraphs. Default: 1. Or you can a group of paragraphs and do a: just. If you are using vi, go to the start of the document and type: !]]fmt This causes all the text from the cursor point to the end of the document to pass through the filter "fmt". It doesn't justify, but it does even out the right margin a little. To those poor souls who insist on using ed: I would also like to introduce you to sliced bread, indoor toilets, "talkies", and girls who do! I suppose some people won't like this message. Could it be that they are the worst offenders? The rest of the red-eyed audience out there in net- land, however, are probably yawning in agreement and hoping those yokels will learn what the rest of the keys on their terminal are for. You know how to talk to the computer just fine. Now talk to the rest of us. | John "Presentation is as Important as Content" Crane |