On Fri, 30 Sep 1994 19:11:33 -0500 Natalie Maynor <[log in to unmask]>
said:
 
>So LISTSERV assumes I know what I'm doing when I add but assumes I don't
>know what I'm doing when I delete or set nomail. Interesting.
 
When you  add a user,  LISTSERV assumes you know  what address it  is you
want to add. The reasons are (1)  users who are already subscribed to the
list seldom ask  the owner to be  subscribed a second time  and (2) there
may be  cases where it is  useful to have  the two addresses, and  if ADD
refused to add the  second one it would be impossible to  do it. When you
delete a user, LISTSERV assumes  you want all equivalent entries removed.
The reasons are (1) most of the  time, you're deleting a user because you
get a  bounce, which  may or  may not  be reported  under the  exact same
address that you used  in the list and (2) the only  drawback is that, in
the rare cases  where you do want  the two entries, you have  to issue an
extra ADD command  after the DELETE, whereas otherwise you  would have to
feed the exact address whenever you  do a DELETE. Thousands of people get
deleted every  day, maybe  2-3 get  dual-added. The  decision is  easy to
make. What you're  trying to do is not normal,  recommended behaviour. It
requires  an extra  ADD command.  LISTSERV doesn't  read brain  waves and
can't know  whether you  really mean  to delete just  one entry  or both.
Since in 99.x% of cases you want to "just remove" the subscriber from the
list, that's what LISTSERV does.
 
>Oh  for the  good old  days before  our bitnet-internet  equivalency was
>registered...
 
Well, in these days you used to complain about the inefficiency of BITNET
and I used to remind you that most  BITNET users do not have a UREP based
setup.  Now you  want to  use your  BITNET address  because the  Internet
address is slow. Make up your mind :-)
 
  Eric