I'm not free of this behaviour either

Yes, I guess this is a job induced deformation. I notice this myself, not usually when posting to 8051 or embedded forums, but when communicating with normal people.

What is considered a virtue of an embedded programmer (to nail a problem down to its bit and request information to do just that) tends to end (if there are missunderstandings, different languages involved, minor differences in notation, attitude, whatever) in endless dialogs.

Am I nitpicking? How do I come to say endless? Is there enough energy left in the solar system to say endless?? (I think you (you in the sense of anonymous plural) got what I meant)

I think there is some truth in the term "Aufmerksamkeitsökonomie" ("oconomics of attention" if I phrase that term correctly).
The forum currently encourages this: latest news stays on top (where else?) and get most attention, best platform to show disseminate my points of view. Most offensive subject probably clicked most. This is a very attractive place, attracting, well, ahem, among others, myself.

Now, how to deal with that? The rating system was a very good step but didn't quite cope with the flood of _____

Fragment the discussion! Divide et impera! Have subforums!

Enjoying the forum, did you read my post?
Enthusiastically Yours,
Frieder