[Techtalk] Alternative ways to implement a mailing list...

[Tamara Harpster]

Hmm, I've seen the kind of alias mapping and yes, you should be able to do
the kind of mapping you are talking about, where if one person sends an
e-mail to one address, many people get a copy. I'm currently getting status
and error messages from an work server using this method. Certain messages
sent to the root address are then forwarded out to myself and another person
so we are aware of the status.

The problem I see with this scheme is that you don't have software in front
of it that is checking for possible problems. For example, suppose someone
has set a vacation autoresponder that respond to every e-mail from every
address and isn't smart enough to just respond to the first one. You could
end up with a recursive situation of the autoresponder sending e-mail to the
list and the list responding back with the message which is then responded
back to, etc.Or that mythical or not so mythical spammer decided to send, if
you're lucky, just one or two e-mails to that central address, I suspect
your subscribers would not be overjoyed. Also, suppose that the first
sending of the e-mail fails, some of the mailing list software will retry
until the send works. And how do you allow users to unsubscribe? How do you
confirm that a person really wanted to sign up? Just some things to consider
no matter what you choose to do.

Also check out freshmeat.net for another source of software for mailing
lists managers. Or check out this link for Perl resources,
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Mailing_Lists/ it may
provide a richer list of programs to support what you need to do.

tamara


On 5/24/06, Jason Landry <jaselan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I've got enough I think for a running start on the web/ML/script
> angle... thanks Tamara.
>
> I want to go for one more round on "MLM proper" though, if that's cool
> with [you] and the Chix (I love saying Chix instead of "guys").
>
> So I caught that nuance on MLM... with e.g. GNU Mailman, boom; you've
> got it all... your *first* kind. And yeah, the *second* "dumbed down"
> -- if you will -- kind too.
>
> So my last hurdle is back to this e-mail aliasing under web hosting
> issue. I see where you describe a "many to one" dynamic (I think), but
> I'd like to go the "other" way. So for example; should I be able to
> create a.. oh let's say "techtalkATdomain" address, and then be able
> to create a *list* [somehow] of e-mail addresses (i.e. the
> "subscribers") so that when someone -- even a spammer -- sends to
> "techtalkATdomain" then BOOM; that msg goes to all the e-mail
> addresses in the "subscriber" *list*?
>
> -- J
>



-- 
"Do not anger the dragon, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup"