> If you very carefully and don't find a message in the > DEFAULT.MAILTPL then it is hard-coded internally in LISTSERV > and not changable. This raises the more general question of why it should be. I keep logs of everybody who tries to join World Wide Words through our Web page form. Periodically I write to everybody who has not succeeding in joining the list to ask whether they have had a problem. I started doing so because the page and its CGI script were new and I wanted to be sure it was working right, but I do so now because many potential subscribers have trouble confirming their subscriptions. The confirmation message may seem not to be excessively wordy or difficult, but the evidence suggests some people have trouble understanding it, not only those whose first language is not English; others are clearly confused by the process. I itch to get at the text and edit it into a pithier form (for example, with the essential information on what to do placed first and a brief explanation of the reasons for the process moved to the end, or even omitted altogether). The rationale behind making this (and some other messages) hard- wired is not immediately obvious. Could I ask the developers to consider changing such messages to an editable form for future releases? -- Michael Quinion World Wide Words <[log in to unmask]> <http://www.quinion.com/words/>