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Should we remove italicisation from quotes?
Yes
69.23%
9
No
30.77%
4
No, but reverse quoted italics text so it is unitalicised
0%
0
13 vote(s)
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Should we stop italicising quotes?

12 Replies, 3350 Views

#1
Question 
There's been a suggestion that we stop italicising quotes. Some proposed reasons for this include:
  • Italics are more tiring to read.
  • The different background colour of quotes is enough to distinguish them from unquoted text anyway.
  • The blanket italicisation of quotes obscures existing italics in the quoted text.
Thoughts and opinions?
[-] The following 2 users Like Laird's post:
  • Ninshub, Doug
#2
(2018-01-19, 07:29 AM)Laird Wrote: There's been a suggestion that we stop italicising quotes. Some proposed reasons for this include:
  • Italics are more tiring to read.
  • The different background colour of quotes is enough to distinguish them from unquoted text anyway.
  • The blanket italicisation of quotes obscures existing italics in the quoted text.
Thoughts and opinions?

Yes for me, because of point number 3.
[-] The following 1 user Likes Guest's post:
  • Laird
#3
I suppose point 3 might have some logic to it. Personally, I think banning italics for quotes would be OTT though.
[-] The following 1 user Likes tim's post:
  • Stan Woolley
#4
yes - point 3
[-] The following 1 user Likes leadville's post:
  • Laird
#5
About point 3... Usually software recognizes the italics that were originally in the quotes and converts them to plain text, doesn't this forum script do as well?
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before..."
[-] The following 1 user Likes E. Flowers's post:
  • tim
#6
(2018-01-19, 01:53 PM)tim Wrote: I suppose point 3 might have some logic to it. Personally, I think banning italics for quotes would be OTT though.

This is what it looks like when one quotes a message with one sentence in italics and another not in italics.

The ideal solution would be to allow the replier to decide which part of the quotation should be italicised. But the software industry being authoritarian rather than liberal at heart, I don't suppose that option is on offer.
[-] The following 1 user Likes Guest's post:
  • tim
#7
I voted No because Linda voted Yes.
[-] The following 3 users Like Pssst's post:
  • Ninshub, fls, tim
#8
(2018-01-19, 06:37 PM)Pssst Wrote: I voted No because Linda voted Yes.

[Image: psht.jpg]
[-] The following 1 user Likes Guest's post:
  • Slorri
#9
(2018-01-19, 04:51 PM)E. Flowers Wrote: About point 3... Usually software recognizes the italics that were originally in the quotes and converts them to plain text, doesn't this forum script do as well?

Unfortunately not. In fact, the styling of quotes was something we added manually using CSS - we simply (to some extent) copied the Skeptiko forum's quote style so that it was familiar to the majority of members who had come from that forum.
#10
Well... That sucks. I don't really oppose removing the italics, it just seemed like a bit of an overreaction if the change was automatic.
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before..."

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