Bug in mailing lists; unfriendly to non-subscribers

Bill Davidsen davidsen at tmr.com
Tue Jul 6 15:10:33 UTC 2010


Felipe Contreras wrote:
> On Tue, Jul 6, 2010 at 2:18 AM, Cameron Simpson <cs at zip.com.au> wrote:

> No, the spam filter will be *in addition* to whatever is there
> already. If the list remains subscription-only, there's still spam
> that goes through, the spam filter will help. And if the lists is
> moderated, the spam filter would help go through the moderation queue.
> 
> The burden would not be on the subscribers, in fact they would receive
> less spam.
> 
>> | > Subscriptions is a step in minimising crap being posted to the list
>> | > (whether that be spam, or simply tossers who'll post rubbish to lists,
>> | > just to spout crap from their fingers).
>> |
>> | Really? So I don't subscribe I'm a looser whose posts are not welcome?
>>
>> Well, if you don't subscribe you're too lazy to meet the very low bar to
>> entry to the discussion; maybe you're not desirable. This isn't so in
>> your case, since you're clearing prepared to argue cogently for your
>> point of view. But for the many many spammers it _is_ the case that they
>> are not welcome.
> 
> Again, that's speculation. Most of the mailing lists I'm subscribed
> to, allow non-subscribers to post, and there are as many occasional
> posters who don't have a clue there, than here. So again, I don't
> think it's sensible to apply prejudices based on the people's
> subscription, which is very simple to do.
> 
On a closely related topic, things are occasionally posted here with cc to other 
lists. A reply-to-all results in a mailbox full of replies ranging from "will be 
hand moderated when we feel like it," through "you are not a subscriber and can 
not post," to one list which says something like "you are an evil scum sucking 
spammer and will be put on a list to reject for all lists at this site."

That, and the filter checks the "to" address and not the "reply-to" so I have to 
hand mung things from any machine here other than my desktop, but which anyone 
reading the list can do, subscribed or not.

Okay, mail on this list is not perfect, now unless someone has a fix which can 
go at the server level, could we close the topic? I didn't reply until the 
indentation of reply levels got so deep I can't read the subject. :-(

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot


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