> If you don't want them using SET or UNSUB, then why use Listserv?
> Just have a little script that mails stuff to the people you want,
> and forget about all the nice features of a list server. It sounds
> like the only way to ensure a forced send is to have a script that
> forces a subscribe and then forces the set options, so why not
> just have that script send the mail instead?
>
> SRE
 
One reason is that doing a good job of sending mail to 24,000 addresses
is not trivial.  Why reinvent the wheel when we already have LISTSERV?
 
Another reason is that we do use some of LISTSERV's other features.
The ability to have a list editor is the most significant, although we
also keep archives.  With some work, I was able to convince LISTSERV to
allow me to have multiple editors, all of whom receive a request to
approve a post, and any one of whom can issue the OK.
 
The fact that LISTSERV currently allows people to unsubscribe and
change settings isn't a big deal to me.  They just get resubscribed and
the options set to the list defaults when the list is rebuilt.  I just
brought up the example when someone stated flatly that there is never a
reason to keep someone from leaving a list.  There are a few exceptions
in certain special cases.  But I'd rather see L-Soft working on other
things and Eric's argument about the possible misuse of such an option
has validity.  Of course, if you join a manually maintained list, you
don't get off until the list maintainer lets you off.
 
I don't know about Europe, but I've never heard of any law in the US
that would prevent an organization from forcing its employees to receive
certain email messages.  Consider it "other duties as assigned".  Of
course, the employees can't really be forced to read the messages.
 
Another way to at least make it difficult for someone to leave a list
is to subscribe them under an address that gets the mail to them, but
is not the one their mail system puts in their From address.  Happens
all the time by accident as mail systems change the addresses they use.
I'm not recommending that people do this on purpose.