On Tue, 3 Dec 1991 16:25:09 EST "A. Harry Williams" <HARRY@MARIST> said:
 
>Given the size  of LSV$WHO, it is unlikely to  break, unless Eric chages
>the format of the SIGNUP FILE.
 
SIGNUP FILE  ought to  be an  indexed file. Sadly,  CMS does  not support
indexed files,  but it becomes more  and more apparent that  this is what
LISTSERV needs.  If I implement  indexed files  some day, this  file will
probably be one  of the first to be converted.  Arbitrary string searches
(a la EXECIO LOCATE) would no  longer be reasonably feasible in REXX: you
would have  to read the file  sequentially and use POS()  on each record.
Key searches would of course be considerably faster.
 
Then there  is the  privacy issue.  A user  might be  in the  SIGNUP FILE
because he subscribed  to a mailing list with the  CONCEAL option. If you
were to install  /WHOIS in (say) Germany, you would  be breaking a couple
laws and could end up being sued.
 
  Eric