References: <1531475146@f172.n1.z21.fsxnet> <lEIKM.585771$Fgta.181666@fx10.iad> <udgb2d$3obdi$3@dont-email.me> <udgujh$3udev$2@dont-email.me> <C4HLM.1176633$SuUf.32855@fx14.iad>
Followup-To:

On 2023-09-11, rdh <rdh@tilde.institute> wrote:
> On 9/9/23 00:08, Rich wrote:
>> Typically you get your editor pre-loaded with quoted text from the
>> article and you enter your responses (and clip out parts that no longer
>> need to remain).
>
> That last bit doesn't happen as much as it should.

Yes indeedy. But why?

Ok the obvious - idleness, in a hurry, lack of focus.

The not obvious - how many "editors" in non-text apoplications make it
difficult? The one's I've come across need you to highlight the bit to
delete, then hit delete. While text mode editors have mark/line delete
keyboard functions which work quite quick (for those that use them). I'm
happy using vi or emacs type keys for delete and finds it really quick.
The quick line delete is particularly useful.

Yes the highlight and delete is intuitive but it involves quite
dexterous ability to hit the correct boundaries. And it involves the
classic waste of time co-ordination shift from hands at keyboard to hand
on mouse and back again.

I understand some people even program in such crippled editors!

Jim Jackson <jj@franjam.org.uk> wrote:
> References: <1531475146@f172.n1.z21.fsxnet> <lEIKM.585771$Fgta.181666@fx10.iad> <udgb2d$3obdi$3@dont-email.me> <udgujh$3udev$2@dont-email.me> <C4HLM.1176633$SuUf.32855@fx14.iad>
> Followup-To:
>
> On 2023-09-11, rdh <rdh@tilde.institute> wrote:
>> On 9/9/23 00:08, Rich wrote:
>>> Typically you get your editor pre-loaded with quoted text from the
>>> article and you enter your responses (and clip out parts that no longer
>>> need to remain).
>>
>> That last bit doesn't happen as much as it should.
>
> Yes indeedy. But why?
>
> Ok the obvious - idleness, in a hurry, lack of focus.
>
> The not obvious - how many "editors" in non-text apoplications make it
> difficult? The one's I've come across need you to highlight the bit to
> delete, then hit delete. While text mode editors have mark/line delete
> keyboard functions which work quite quick (for those that use them). I'm
> happy using vi or emacs type keys for delete and finds it really quick.
> The quick line delete is particularly useful.

Or, in the case of google groups users it is that the GG web interface
hides all the quoted text initially behind a small (IIRC) grey "plus to
expand here" icon that can be easily overlooked. So many of them are
completely unaware that there is even quoted text to trim.

And, I think when reading in GG, it also hides the quoted text, because
the actual article content is "just above" in their web view. So not
only do they have no reminder to trim when writing, but they don't see
the mess they make when they fail to trim, because the web ui hides
that mess from them behind another little "expand this" icon.

If other builtin newsreader editors do anything similar, then another
reason can be because the user didn't pay attemtion, and their editor
defaults (and/or reader defaults) hid from them most of the view
necessary to remind them to trim.