Recently I tried to subscribe REDIST-L by issuing
 
  TELL LISTSERV AT DEARN SUB REDIST-L
 
When I received the message
 
  FROM DEARN(LISTSERV): * Your request is being forwarded to
  FROM DEARN(LISTSERV): * [log in to unmask]
 
I felt fine. Until I received another message:
 
  FROM EB0UB011(LISTSERV): * Your name is unknown to this LISTSERV. You must
  FROM EB0UB011(LISTSERV): * specify it, for example: SUB REDIST-L John A. Doe.
 
Ooops, of course, LISTSERV@EB0UB011  doesn't know me. But LISTSERV@DEARN
knows me well enough, why couldn't  it tell it's fellow LISTSERV my full
name? Anyway, once again:
 
  TELL LISTSERV AT DEARN SUB REDIST-L Rainer M Woitok
 
Now it seems to go smooth:
 
  FROM DEARN(LISTSERV): * Your request is being forwarded to
  FROM DEARN(LISTSERV): * [log in to unmask]
  FROM EB0UB011(LISTSERV): * The nearest REDIST-L host to you is
  FROM EB0UB011(LISTSERV): * [log in to unmask] Your SUBSCRIBE request is being
  FROM EB0UB011(LISTSERV): * forwarded to [log in to unmask]
 
Ok,  I don't  really mind,  if  I'd be  subscribed at  all. But  shortly
after, I received the following:
 
  FROM DB0TUI11(LISTSERV): * Your node is outside this LISTSERV's service area.
  FROM DB0TUI11(LISTSERV): * Your subscription request has been denied.
 
So back  to square  one. I  then tried to  send mail  to LISTSERV@BITNIC
directly and received the optimistic reply
 
    > SUB REDIST-L Rainer M Woitok
    Your request is being forwarded to
    [log in to unmask]
 
but I never heard anything from  [log in to unmask] So as a last resort I
tried
 
  TELL LISTSERV AT FINHUTC SUB REDIST-L Rainer M Woitok
 
Guess what I got. You'll never imagine:
 
  FROM FINHUTC(LISTSERV): * The nearest REDIST-L host to you is
  FROM FINHUTC(LISTSERV): * [log in to unmask] Your SUBSCRIBE request is being
  FROM FINHUTC(LISTSERV): * forwarded to [log in to unmask]
  FROM DB0TUI11(LISTSERV): * Your node is outside this LISTSERV's service area.
  FROM DB0TUI11(LISTSERV): * Your subscription request has been denied.
 
Seems  as if  the whole  thing is  going to  spin round  and round.  So,
please, what am I suposed to do?
 
Rainer
 
P.S. Of cource I know that the  explanation of this phenomenon is just a
little bug  in just  a little  file and that  it'll be  fixed in  just a
little  while.  But  as  good  as I  regard  the  technical  concept  of
LISTSERVs, as  week I  regard its  user interface  (not passing  on full
names,  having to  deal  with a  lot of  different  LISTSERVs etc).  And
though I know, Eric doesn't find it  a bright idea, I still vote for the
concept of "regional"  service, which I proposed  earlier (regardless of
whether   one  implements   it  using   tables  or   more  sophisticated
functions).
 
.----------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Rainer M. Woitok                 | Phone  : (+49 9131) 85-7811,-7031 |
| Regionales Rechenzentrum         | e-Mail : [log in to unmask]     |
| Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet |                                   |
| D-8520 Erlangen                  |                                   |
| West Germany                     |                                   |
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