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Re: Problems with IUCr listserv? Re: Subscription approval request

  • To: Multiple recipients of list <epc-l@iucr.org>
  • Subject: Re: Problems with IUCr listserv? Re: Subscription approval request
  • From: Brian McMahon <bm@iucr.org>
  • Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 10:03:15 +0100 (BST)
Hi Lachlan

(Copied to epc-l to invite comments on my response to the PS.)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 14:04:17 -0700
>To: listproc@iucr.org
>From: Lachlan Cranswick <l.m.d.cranswick@dl.ac.uk>
>Subject: Re: Subscription approval request
>
>system COMPCOMM-L ****** armel@fluo.univ-lemans.fr #SUBSCRIBE COMPCOMM-L
ARMEL LE BAIL 
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: listproc@iucr.org
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 19:02:49 +0100 (BST)
To: armel@fluo.univ-lemans.fr
Cc: l.m.d.cranswick@dl.ac.uk
Subject: Error Condition Re: Invalid request

>SUBSCRIBE COMPCOMM-L 

No name given to SUBSCRIBE

Syntax: subscribe <list> <Your Name>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looks like your mailer has wrapped the subscription request so that Armel's
name appears on a separate line - listproc parses a single-line command.


> PS:  Might it also be possible to update to a slicker Yahoo/egroups style
> mailing list which looks very slick and easy to use/administer?

I'm looking at sympa (www.sympa.org) with a view to doing just this. Early
indications are that it has a lot of nice features, but will require a fair
amount of work to fit it in to the house style. More importantly,
performance on the current testbed hardware is very poor, though I suspect
there are a few things we can do that will really speed it up. One issue is
whether we can patch its authentication routines into an evolving plan to
authenticate users of all IUCr services for which registration is required.

In practice all these list software management packages are rather complex
because of the very wide variety of functions they must perform; it's an
open question as to whether the effort invested in mastering and maintaining
such a package on one's own site is worthwhile, or whether people should
just be directed to use Yahoo. One advantage of having the list run from our
own site is that you can archive the discussions, though that could just as
easily be done by having a virtual subscriber from the Chester host which
passes messages from the list straight into the mhonarc archive/indexing
system.

At the moment the existing lists are used reasonably well, but there is
little demand for new lists, and new general lists (like strchem) have great
difficulty in getting established. On the other hand it's partly circular -
systems like sympa (or Yahoo) are much easier to access via the web and
might encourage people to participate more.

Regards
Brian

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