[svlug] Turning/reflowing/wrapping '> > quoted' into '>> quoted'

[J C Lawrence]

On Wed, 6 Jun 2001 03:16:45 -0400 
John Bacalle <john at unixen.org> wrote:

> * J C Lawrence <claw at kanga.nu> [20010605 21:51]:

> Grepping the ML from 6 May PDT onward, I do find only one other
> user with this attribution style. 

Okay, which point are we defining here, attribution format/placement
or "> " vs ">>" quote formatting?

> But it's common to come across several like minded users on most
> *nix, free software related lists. I slurped the attribution style
> from another Mutt user. I would hazard that the number is greater
> though than your style. It's late for me on the East coast, but if
> you can get a regex to grep for your way, I'd be interested in the
> results.

Of course there's also the "XX>" quoting format where XX are the
poster's initials (popularised by SuperCite).

>> readers do not have a regular training in your format.

> No training required. Well, once you move from crawling to bipedal
> locomotion you have enough motor coordination, or visual dexterity
> to discern simple straight vertical alignment. =)

The same skills translate to recognising the quote level change in:

  >>> Really old quoted text.
  >>> Really old quoted text.
  >>> Really old quoted text.

  >> Older quoted text.
  >> Older quoted text.
  >> Older quoted text.

  > Newer quoted text.
  > Newer quoted text.
  > Newer quoted text.

Thin line.  Fat line.  Fatter line.

-- 
J C Lawrence                                       claw at kanga.nu
---------(*)                          http://www.kanga.nu/~claw/
The pressure to survive and rhetoric may make strange bedfellows