README: Major list change approaching
Tim O'Connor (tim@roughdraft.org)
Mon, 06 Dec 1999 17:26:35 -0500
URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE BANANAFISH MAILING LIST!
*****PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THIS MESSAGE*****
THIS IS NOT A DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT!
=========================
For the last few years, NYU has allowed us to give this list a home
on the list server I set up and maintained. However, due to
managerial changes and other political details, it will soon be
impossible to keep this list in its current location. So, we must
pack up and relocate.
I've always been ready to cut-and-run in the event that this might
happen, so there will not be complete chaos on this end. The main
change coming up, other than the new address, is that the
subscription process is slightly different.
I spent part of last month preparing things in advance so that we can
switch over to the new mailing list with little or no pain. (I
hope.) I will continue to maintain it, except that the new list will
not rely on the generosity of any organization, or depend upon the
politics that run through organizations. The small expense is coming
out of my pocket -- so, unless I have a nervous breakdown and start
fighting with myself, this list will now have as permanent a name and
location as is possible.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
===============
In order to do this in an orderly fashion, and as a slightly belated
"happy birthday" card to the author whose work inspires this list, I
will shut this "based at NYU" list down on January 10, 2000, which is
10 days after J.D. Salinger's birthday.
Please feel free to subscribe to the new list at any time before
January 10. However, the new list will not become active until that
date, and this old list will not be cut off the air until then. If
there is any traffic on the new list, it will be from me and several
people who are helping test things out. Please note that no real
traffic on the new list will be preserved before January 10, when the
new list goes live.
The list archive will also move, to http://www.roughdraft.org/JDS/
(as my time permits).
Subscriptions WILL NOT be automatically carried over from old to new,
so please make note of the instructions below for joining the new
list. Also note that subscribing is a two-step process, a situation
NOT under my control.
[One of the most important bits you'll need to remember is that the
address of this list ends in ".org" -- not .com or .edu! The owners
of the "roughdraft.com" system especially seem annoyed to receive
misaddressed mail.]
JOINING
======
You will need to send mail to:
majordomo@roughdraft.org
You can leave the subject line blank; it will be ignored.
The body of the message should say:
subscribe bananafish
OR: If you prefer to receive all the day's messages bundled into one
message, your command should instead say:
subscribe bananafish-digest
Please don't send BOTH commands, unless you really want to receive
both subscriptions!
AUTHORIZATION
============
The biggest change you will notice is that when you join, you will
get a reply, asking you to authorize your new subscription. It will
say something along these lines:
Someone (possibly you) has requested that your email
address be added to or deleted from the mailing list
"bananafish@roughdraft.org".
If you really want this action to be taken, please send
the following commands (exactly as shown) back to
"majordomo@roughdraft.org":
auth xxxxxxx subscribe bananafish you@your.mail.address
(The "xxxxxxxxx" will be an arbitrary authorization string of numbers
and letters.)
Do a reply to send only that "auth" line EXACTLY as it appears,
cutting away the rest of the message, and you will be added to the
new list. You will also receive the list's "welcome" message.
Here is a sample message asking to subscribe:
To: majordomo@roughdraft.org
From: Tim O'Connor <tim@roughdraft.org>
Subject:
Cc:
Bcc:
X-Attachments:
subscribe bananafish
After you get back the "Someone (possibly you)..." message, you must
send a second mail message:
To: majordomo@roughdraft.org
From: Tim O'Connor <tim@roughdraft.org>
Subject:
Cc:
Bcc:
X-Attachments:
auth 123abc12298 subscribe bananafish you@your.mail.address
This will get you subscribed. The feature is designed to protect you
from being added to the list without your knowledge.
To quit, send mail to:
majordomo@roughdraft.org
You can leave the subject line blank. Your message should say:
unsubscribe bananafish
In the examples above, please substitute "bananafish-digest" for
"bananafish" if you prefer the digest form.
-----
I regret the two-step registration process, and am working to
eliminate it, and hope to have it back to a simple "subscribe"
command by the time the new list starts, but can offer no guarantees,
since I'm not a system administrator on the new computer that holds
the list. But as a paying customer, I can make requests.
Meanwhile, I'm testing the list out methodically. If there are any
people who would like to help in testing -- perhaps finding bugs or
items that can be tuned -- please MAIL ME PRIVATELY:
tim@roughdraft.org
Thanks in advance for any help that springs forth!
--tim o'connor