LSTSRV-L Archives

LISTSERV Site Administrators' Forum

LSTSRV-L

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Eric Thomas <[log in to unmask]>
Fri, 19 May 2006 19:57:27 +0200
text/plain (46 lines)
The problem with the "unintuitive" nature of posting confirmation is that
the syntax is overloaded, ironically to make things simpler for novice
users. The syntax works fine with non-moderated lists, because there is only
one confirmation (by the poster) and the "Confirm" option is only used for
one thing. Even if the poster is on REVIEW and the message goes to the
editor, by definition the editor is a third party and there can be no
argument that the poster's confirmation should also have counted as the
editor's.

For a moderated list, there are two confirmation steps: by the poster before
the message goes to the editor, and by the editor. The poster confirmation
could potentially be for nobody, for everybody, for non-members only, and
for non-editors only. The editor confirmation is a simple yes/no switch. So
we have eight possibilities, which actually reduce to six in practice:

1. NOBODY/NO: "Send= Editor".

2. NOBODY/YES: "Send= Editor,Confirm". "Confirm" applies primarily to the
editor - the person causing the message to be actually posted.

3. EVERYBODY/*: "Send= Editor,Confirm,All". The second confirmation setting
is immaterial since "everybody" includes the editor.

4. NON-MEMBER/NO: cannot be done.

5. NON-MEMBER/YES: "Send= Editor,Confirm,Non-Member".

6. NON-EDITOR/NO: cannot be done.

-. NON-EDITOR/YES: same as case 3 since, in the end, everybody ends up
confirming.

To enable cases 4 and 6, you would need something like:

* Send= Editor
* Confirm-by-Poster= ...
* Confirm-by-Editor= ...

The downside of course it is that it is three keywords instead of one. What
you would gain primarily is case 4 (the usefulness of case 6 is debatable
since it is false security). All this being said, few people turn off editor
confirmation nowadays, because any subscriber could then spoof the editor's
address and post whatever he wanted.

  Eric

ATOM RSS1 RSS2