On Thu, 13 Jun 2002, Bill Blinn wrote:
> Some of us have been using LSoft software for perhaps only five years
> or so, as I have, and occasionally one of us might not get the
> terminology exactly right.

Well, when it comes to commands it is not a matter of "terminolgy."
If you issue the command   HOLD listname   LISTSERV will do exatly
what you have told it to do, it will HOLD that list, that is, distribution
of postings to list are to be suspended until the list is FREEed.
If you issue a LOCK command, or there is an auto-LOCK due to conditions,
no one can subscribe, unsubscribe, etc., but distribution of postings will
continue, to those subscribed.

LISTSERV doesn't care how long you've been using L-Soft products: HOLD and
LOCK are commands with defined meanings, and you had best not confuse them
as LISTSERV will not cut you any slack if you use HOLD when you mean LOCK,
and v-v.
Only five years experience?  Heck, I was telling Eric how to change things
after one year (and he did, for a couple of major functions which are still
standard).  Of course, I bothered to read all of the available
documentation for a year before I became a listowner, but that isn't
required to know the differenc between HOLD and LOCK.

I also make mistakes when I reply to questions on this list.  When I do
so I expect to be slapped down, vigorously.

LISTSERV does not forgive, it is not lenient, nor forgiving, and certainly
not Christianly charitable, it doesn't give the benefit of the doubt, and
there is no "let's everyone get along together" or whatever, if you issue
the wrong command.  If you get an auto-note from LISTERV that your list is
HELD, or that it is LOCKed, well, the note hints right there as to where
to start looking for the problem, and it doesn't say the list is HELD if
the list is LOCKed, nor does it say the list is LOCKed if the list is HELD.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the original question: what does it
mean when I get a "list held" message, and what should I do about it?
There definitely was something wrong with replies which suggessted he had
LOCKed his list.

I have certainly gone off on the wrong tangent in replying to some
questions, but when I do I take my lumps. I don't moan "well, excuse me for
living and wasting the bandwidth" nor do I trot out some "let's all be
nice, now" junk.      Douglas [log in to unmask]