
Ask HN: can we have a standard quote format - pbhjpbhj
When quoting other comments within a thread there is no agreed standard format which makes for a messy and less easily parsed display. Couldn't the markup here have a simple quote tag like "&#62;" (used at Reddit)?<p>It may be of benefit to have a different tag for quoting external sources too.
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revorad
_there is no agreed standard format_

Most people here italicise quotes with asterisks. see
<http://news.ycombinator.com/formatdoc>.

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brk
_Most people here italicise quotes with asterisks._

That's been my method as well. Easy enough to quote a block of text that way
without having to manually format/indent and add >'s.

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pbhjpbhj
_Most do use asterisks, but not all_ , some use simple quote marks others use
>. Italics are also use just for emphasis.

 _without having to manually format/indent and add >'s._

You just add one > at the head of the para, it's quicker than adding asterisks
at either end. Reddit's version also nests quotes.

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roundsquare
Sorry to ask, but why is it a big deal? I think its usually pretty obvious
when something is being quoted...

Just my two cents.

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pbhjpbhj
It's not a big deal.

I just find the reddit markup for this is better, makes for better scanability
of threads and takes less keypresses. Also allows for easy use of a user
stylesheet on quotes or for HN to change the quote style.

Generally if there's a better way I prefer to use it. Clearly others are happy
with the current ad-hoc method.

