--- Question about send=private. - Torino, 1995-07-20
 
At least for one of the main uses of LISTSERV (discussion among real
persons, not among collective beings), I try to discourage local
redistribution: unless the list is defined "everything PUBLIC", this may
prevent users from sending commands to LISTSERV (at least for
self-control of their subscription; but, for lists offering something
more than mail distribution, GETtting files, archive searching &c).
 
Nothing to object, of course, to users who prefer a quiet "read-only"
status: but if and when they begin to write to the list, I suggest them
to subscribe and get out of the local redistribution list (I think,
please correct me, that for LISTSERV is quite the same thing to send to
one or to ten users, when they are at the same address).
 
About "rules" for accepting addresses "quite similar" to what
subscription shows, I think this has to be left to postmasters: probably
they already do their best (or should) for identifying users in outgoing
mail with simple inequivocal addresses, screening to the outside world
the intricacies and idiosincracies of their local configuration.
 
<-- Eugenio Gatto    (CIDEM, Politecnico di Torino, Italia)
                     (list owner [log in to unmask])