All--
 
I just have a couple possible suggestions for a future version of LISTSERV
regarding the handling of digests.
 
1) One of the lists I run is extremely-high volume (over 300 messages per
day on occasion), and as a result can generate 10 digests per day or more.
Beause volume is so high, I have a lot of subscribers on DIGEST, and of
course things often can go wrong with delivery to subscribers for a
variety of reasons: digests get delayed and delivered out of order,
sometimes never reach their destination at all, etc. There's nothing
LISTSERV can do about the vagaries of email delivery, of course, but a
number of subscribers have asked for a way to individually-number digests,
the way majordomo does it (SO-AND-SO Digest V1 #421, for example). On a
list as busy as mine, they just get a bunch of messages all with the same
subject line (SO-AND-SO Digest - Special Edition 16 July 1996), and it's
very hard for them to tell if they've missed a chunk of the conversation.
 
2) This list is highly conversational, so the majority of members prefer
to receive smaller digests quickly rather than one giant digest only once
per day. As a result, I have it set to generate a digest every 500 lines.
However, there are a number of people who would prefer the
one-digest-per-day option, and prefer it so strongly that they won't
subscribe to the list unless I offer it. So, perhaps someday there could
be a way that an individual subscriber could tailor his/her digest
options?
 
Like I said, just suggestions for someday, if possible. I know
finishing 1.8c is the highest priority now, and that there could be any
number of reasons either of these suggestions couldn't be done.