The reality is that since 99% of email users are "post-Outlook", one must "top post" or the others on the mail assume it's blank and just skip over it -- even i

The reality is that since 99% of email users are "post-Outlook", one must "top post" or the others on the mail assume it's blank and just skip over it -- even if you "top post" a message about how you've replied inline. If I'm on a list with established conventions or if my email partner requests it, I'm happy to have old-style "pre-Outlook" conversations, but I've learned my lesson in trying not to do it by default. It's not a convention that we're going to change.