I don't  want to start  a mud-slinging campaign, but  I'd like to  make a
general comment in the interest of getting the right signals to the right
people in time for them to make informed decisions.
 
CREN's executive  director never wrote to  this list. In fact,  CREN very
seldom replies  to complaints posted  to LSTSRV-L (this assertion  can be
verified by  examining the list logs).  I am certainly not  trying to say
that this is the way things should be, nor that this discussion is not an
appropriate topic for  the list - it most certainly  is! However, I don't
think it is reasonable to expect  CREN to take strategic advice from this
list, or  to change its strategy  based on what technical  people have to
say. CREN may or  may not choose to justify its  recent decisions on this
list, but  what they are  sure to do  is to write  a nice letter  to your
management  explaining  why  you  should migrate  from  the  obsolete  VM
LISTSERV  software to  the  new, modern,  improved  unix list  management
product  that  CREN carefully  evaluated  and  selected for  the  greater
benefit of  its membership, and is  going to enhance in  the near future.
Your management may or may not know  the facts and issues at hand and, if
they don't,  they may  be impressed  by CREN's  positive attitude  to the
changing world of computer networking and send in a membership check that
buys you software you don't want to run.
 
So I would like to suggest that  you bring your concerns to the people at
your  institution who  are  in charge  of approving  software/maintenance
purchases,  renewal of  CREN  membership, and  so on.  If  you think  the
product CREN  purchased is not as  good as LISTSERV, you  should let them
know so that they are prepared when CREN's letter comes in.
 
I would like to say more but  I absolutely can't open my mouth until I've
asked  a few  questions  to our  lawyers  on Monday.  I'm  just not  very
familiar  with  US laws  and  since  comparative advertisements  are  not
allowed in (most of) Europe I have no idea what the "rules" are and can't
release  the papers  yet. What  I can  say however  is that  a number  of
announcements will be made over the  next month, some soon and some after
a week or two, because a number  of administrative steps have to be taken
before   the   announcements  can   be   made,   and  unfortunately   the
administrations in question  cannot be accelerated. In  general the state
of competition created  by CREN's decision will be beneficial  to the end
user and  allow you, the  customer, to continue  to use the  products and
services that  YOU have chosen,  under more advantageous  conditions than
possible previously. I  realize this may sound like  an electoral speech,
but unfortunately that's all I can disclose for now.
 
  Eric