In message , J G Miller
writes:
On Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:09:12 +0100, Max Demian wrote:

So how does he know what to reply to?

A better question is, why bother to quote the previous article at all?

.. It is the normal convention on usenet to quote some of the posting to
which one is replying, so that anyone joining the thread can get some
idea of what you're on about. However, although many people do not, it
is often courteous to do some judicial snipping, especially when your
post is the last of very many. How much of the entire thread to leave in
place for the benefit of newcomers is always a matter of personal
judgement, and there is no correct answer. (I tend to think that the
whole thread is the wrong answer, at least where the thread is active;
if you are posting a reply to a thread that has not had a posting for a
while, it may be wise to leave more of the post to which you are
replying in place.) ..
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G.5AL-IS-P--Ch++(p)Ar@T0H+Sh0!:`)DNAf
** http://www.soft255.demon.co.uk/G6JPG-PC/JPGminPC.htm for ludicrously
outdated thoughts on PCs. **

Sarcasm: Barbed ire