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diff --git a/doc/mailman-member.txt b/doc/mailman-member.txt new file mode 100644 index 00000000..2a795865 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/mailman-member.txt @@ -0,0 +1,1290 @@ + #GNU mailman - list Member Manual Contents About this document... About + this document... + + Previous Page Up one Level Next Page GNU Mailman - List Member Manual + __________________________________________________________________ + +GNU Mailman - List Member Manual + + Terri Oda + + terri(at)zone12.com + + Release 2.1 + December 5, 2007 + + Front Matter + + Abstract: + + This document describes the list member interface for GNU Mailman 2.1. + It contains instructions for subscribing, unsubscribing, viewing the + archives, editing user options, getting password reminders, and other + subscriber-level tasks. It also answers some common questions of + interest to Mailman list members. + +Contents + + * + + 1 Introduction + o 1.1 Acknowledgements + o 1.2 What is a mailing list? + o 1.3 GNU Mailman + + 2 Translating from our examples to real lists + + 3 Mailman's interfaces + o 3.1 The web interface + o 3.2 The email interface + + 4 I need to talk to a human! + + 5 Subscribing and unsubscribing + o 5.1 How do I join a list? (subscribe) + o 5.2 How do I leave a list? (unsubscribe) + + 6 Passwords + o 6.1 How do I get my password? + o 6.2 How do I change my password? + o 6.3 How do I turn password reminders on or off? + (reminders option) + + 7 Changing mail delivery + o 7.1 How do I turn mail delivery on or off? (delivery + option) + o 7.2 How can I avoid getting duplicate messages? + (duplicates option) + o 7.3 How do I change my subscription address? + o 7.4 How do I stop or start getting copies of my own + posts? (myposts option) + o 7.5 How can I get Mailman to tell me when my post has + been received by the list? (ack option) + o 7.6 I don't seem to be getting mail from the lists. What + should I do? + + 8 Digests + o 8.1 How can I start or stop getting the list posts + grouped into one big email? (digest option) + o 8.2 What are MIME and Plain Text Digests? How do I change + which one I get? (digest option) + + 9 Mailing list topics + o 9.1 How do I make sure that my post has the right topic? + o 9.2 How do I subscribe to all or only some topics on a + list? + o 9.3 How do I get or avoid getting messages with no topic + set? + + 10 Setting other options + o 10.1 Change Globally? Set Globally? What does that mean? + o 10.2 How do I change my name as Mailman knows it? + o 10.3 How do I set my preferred language? + o 10.4 How do I avoid having my name appear on the + subscribers list? (the hide option) + + 11 Other common questions + o 11.1 How do I view the list archives? + o 11.2 What does Mailman do to help protect me from + unsolicited bulk email (spam)? + + 1 Email commands quick reference + + 2 Member options quick reference + + 1 Introduction + + This document is intended to help the members of a Mailman 2.1 mailing + list learn to use the features available to them. It covers the use of + the web and email interfaces for subscribing and unsubscribing, + changing member options, getting password reminders and other + subscriber-level tasks. It also answers some common questions of + interest to Mailman list members. + + Information for list and site administrators is provided in other + documents. + + This document need not be read in order. If you are simply looking for + an answer to a specific question, jump to the appropriate place and + references to other sections will be provided if necessary or + potentially helpful. + + Note: For the purposes of this document, we assume that the reader is + familiar with common terms related to email (eg: Subject line, body of + the message) and web sites (eg: drop-down box, button) or can look them + up. We also assume that the reader can already use his or her email + program and web browser well enough that instructions such as "send + email to this address" or "visit this web page" or "fill in the form + provided" are clear. If you are not familiar with these actions, you + may want to consult other documentation to learn how to do these things + with your particular setup. + +1.1 Acknowledgements + + Sections of this document have been borrowed from the List + Administrator Manual found in Mailman CVS, which was written by Barry + A. Warsaw, and from the in-line help for Mailman 2.1. + + The rest of this manual has been written by Terri Oda. Terri has been + maintaining mailing lists since the year she attained voting age in + Canada, although the two are not related. She currently oversees the + mailing lists at Linuxchix.org, as well as several smaller servers. In + the world outside of list administration, Terri is doing work with an + artificial life spam detector, and is actually more of a programmer + than technical writer. + + Proofreading thanks go to Margaret McCarthy and Jason Walton. + +1.2 What is a mailing list? + + A mailing list is simply a list of addresses to which the same + information is being sent. If you were a magazine publisher, you would + have a list of the mailing addresses of all the subscribers to the + magazine. In the case of an electronic mailing list, we use a list of + email addresses from people interested in hearing about or discussing a + given topic. + + Two common types of email mailing lists are announcement lists and + discussion lists. + + Announcement lists are are used so that one person or group can send + announcements to a group of people, much like a magazine publisher's + mailing list is used to send out magazines. For example, a band may use + a mailing list to let their fan base know about their upcoming + concerts. + + A discussion list is used to allow a group of people to discuss topics + amongst themselves, with everyone able to send mail to the list and + have it distributed to everyone in the group. This discussion may also + be moderated, so only selected posts are sent on to the group as a + whole, or only certain people are allowed to send to the group. For + example, a group of model plane enthusiasts might use a mailing list to + share tips about model construction and flying. + + Some common terms: + * A "post" typically denotes a message sent to a mailing list. (Think + of posting a message on a bulletin board.) + * People who are part of an electronic mailing list are usually + called the list's "members" or "subscribers." + * "List administrators" are the people in charge of maintaining that + one list. Lists may have one or more administrators. + * A list may also have people in charge of reading posts and deciding + if they should be sent on to all subscribers. These people are + called list moderators. + * Often more than one electronic mailing list will be run using the + same piece of software. The person who maintains the software which + runs the lists is called the "site administrator." Often the site + administrator also administrates individual lists. + +1.3 GNU Mailman + + GNU Mailman is software that lets you manage electronic mailing lists. + It supports a wide range of mailing list types, such as general + discussion lists and announce-only lists. Mailman has extensive + features which make it good for list subscribers, such as easy + subscription and unsubscription, privacy options, and the ability to + temporarily stop getting posts from the list. The list member features + are covered in this document. + + Mailman also has many features which make it attractive to list and + site administrators. These features are covered in the list and site + administrator manuals. + + 2 Translating from our examples to real lists + + Often, it's easier to simply give an example than explain exactly how + to find the address for your specific list. As such, we'll frequently + give examples for a fictional list called LISTNAME@DOMAIN whose list + information page can be found at + http://WEBSERVER/mailman/listinfo/LISTNAME. + + Neither of these are real addresses, but they show the form of a + typical list address. The capital letters used for the list-specific + parts of each address should make it easier to see what should be + changed for each list. Although specific list configurations may be + different, you will probably be able to just replace the words given in + capital letters with the appropriate values for a real list: + + LISTNAME + The name of your list. + + DOMAIN + The name of the mail server which handles that list. + + WEBSERVER + The name of the web server which handles the list web interface. + This may be the same as DOMAIN, and often refers to the same + machine, but does not have to be identical. + + As a real-life example, if you are interested in the mailman-users + list, you'd make the following substitutions: LISTNAME=mailman-users, + DOMAIN=python.org, WEBSERVER=mail.python.org. As such, for the + mailman-users@python.org mailing list, the list information page can be + found at the URL http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/mailman-users. + (These, unlike most of the examples given in this document, are real + addresses.) + + Most lists will have this information stored in the List-*: headers. + Many mail programs will hide these by default, so you may have to + choose to view full headers before you can see these informational + headers. + + 3 Mailman's interfaces + + Mailman has two different interfaces for the list subscriber: the web + interface and the email interface. Most discussion list subscribers use + the email interface, since this includes the email address you use to + send mail to all the subscribers of that list. + + The interface you use for changing options is largely a matter of + preference, since most (but not all) of the options which can be + changed from the web interface can also be changed by email. Usually it + is easier to use the web interface for changing options, since the web + interface provides instructions as you go, but there are times when + people may prefer the email interface, so both are provided. + +3.1 The web interface + + The web interface of Mailman is its selling point for many + administrators, since it makes it much easier for subscribers and + administrators to see which options are available, and what these + options do. + + Every mailing list is also accessible by a number of web pages. Note + that the exact URLs are configurable by the site administrator, so they + may be different than what's described below. We'll describe the most + common configuration, but check with your site administrator or hosting + service for details. + + List information (listinfo) page + + + Usually found at http://WEBSERVER/mailman/listinfo/LISTNAME + (for example, + http://lists.example.com/mailman/listinfo/mylist) + + The listinfo page is the starting point for the subscriber + interface. As one would assume from the name it's given, it + contains information about the LISTNAME list. Usually all the + other subscriber pages can be accessed from this point, so you + really only need to know this one address. + + Member options page + + + Usually found at + http://WEBSERVER/mailman/options/LISTNAME/EMAIL (For example, + http://lists.example.com/mailman/options/mylist/kathy@here.com + ) + + This page can also be accessed by going to the listinfo page + and entering your email address into the box beside the button + marked "Unsubscribe or Edit Options" (this is near the bottom + of the page). + + The member options page allows you to log in/out and change + your list settings, as well as unsubscribe or get a copy of + your password mailed to you. + + To log in to your member options page: If you are not already + logged in, there will be a box near the top for you to enter + your password. (If you do not know your password, see + Section 6.1 for more information on getting your password.) + Enter your password in the box and press the button. + + Once you are logged in, you will be able to view and change + all your list settings. + + List Archives + + + Usually found at http://WEBSERVER/pipermail/LISTNAME if the + list is publicly archived, and + http://WEBSERVER/mailman/private/LISTNAME if the list is + privately archives. (For example, + http://lists.example.com/pipermail/mylist or + http://lists.example.com/mailman/private/mylist) + + The list archive pages have copies of the posts sent to the + mailing list, usually grouped by month. In each monthly group, + the posts are usually indexed by author, date, thread, and + subject. + + Note: Pipermail is the name of the default archiver that comes + with Mailman. Other archive programs are available. + + If the archive is private, you will need to supply your + subscribed email address and your password to log in. (See + Section 6.1 for more information on getting your password.) + +3.2 The email interface + + Every mailing list has a set of email addresses to which messages can + be sent. There's always one address for posting messages to the list, + one address to which bounces are sent, and addresses for processing + email commands. For a fictional mailing list called mylist@example.com, + you'd find these addresses: + + * mylist@example.com - this is the email address people should use + for new postings to the list. + * mylist-join@example.com - by sending a message to this address, a + new member can request subscription to the list. Both the Subject: + header and body of such a message are ignored. Note that + mylist-subscribe@example.com is an alias for the -join address. + * mylist-leave@example.com - by sending a message to this address, a + member can request unsubscription from the list. As with the -join + address, the Subject: header and body of the message is ignored. + Note that mylist-unsubscribe@example.com is an alias for the -leave + address. + * mylist-owner@example.com - This address reaches the list owner and + list moderators directly. This is the address you use if you need + to contact the person or people in charge. + * mylist-request@example.com - This address reaches a mail robot + which processes email commands that can be used to set member + subscription options, as well as process other commands. A list of + members' email commands is provided in Appendix A. + * mylist-bounces@example.com - This address receives bounces from + members whose addresses have become either temporarily or + permanently inactive. The -bounces address is also a mail robot + that processes bounces and automatically disables or removes + members as configured in the bounce processing settings. Any bounce + messages that are either unrecognized, or do not seem to contain + member addresses, are forwarded to the list administrators. + * mylist-confirm@example.com - This address is another email robot, + which processes confirmation messages for subscription and + unsubscription requests. + + There's also an -admin address which also reaches the list + administrators, but this address only exists for compatibility with + older versions of Mailman. + + For changing options, we use the LISTNAME-request address (for example, + mylist-request@example.com). + + Commands can appear in the subject line or the body of the message. + Each command should be on a separate line. If your mail program + automatically appends a signature to your messages, you may want to put + the word "end" (without the quotes) on a separate line after your other + commands. The end command tells Mailman not to process the email after + that point. + + The most important command is probably the "help" command, since it + makes Mailman return a message full of useful information about the + email commands and directions to the web interface. + + Quick references to the subscriber commands have been provided in + Appendices A and B. (These have been slightly adapted from the output + of the help command.) + + 4 I need to talk to a human! + + If you have any trouble with any of these commands, you can always + reach the person or people in charge of a list by using the list + administrator email address. The list administrators can help you + figure out how to do something, subscribe/unsubscribe you, or change + your settings if you are unable to change them yourself for some + reason. Please remember that many mailing list administrators are + volunteers who are donating their spare time to run the list, and they + may be very busy people. + + This list administrator email address is in the form + LISTNAME-owner@DOMAIN, where LISTNAME is the name of the list (eg: + mailman-users) and DOMAIN is the name of the server (eg: python.org). + This email address, along with the email addresses of specific + administrators, is given on the bottom of the list information pages. + See Section 3.1 for more information on finding the list information + page for your list + + 5 Subscribing and unsubscribing + + Since subscribing (joining) and unsubscribing (leaving) lists are often + the only things a list member needs to know, these can both be done + without requiring you to know a password. + +5.1 How do I join a list? (subscribe) + + There are two common ways you can subscribe to a Mailman mailing list. + + Using the web interface: + 1. Go to the list information page for the list you want to join. + (This will probably be something like + http://WEBSERVER/mailman/listinfo/LISTNAME) + 2. Look for the section marked "Subscribing to LISTNAME" and fill in + the boxes. You can fill in the following: + + You must enter your email address. + + You may choose to supply your real name. + + You may choose a password. If you do not choose one, Mailman + will generate one for you. + Warning: Do NOT use a valuable password, since this password + may be mailed to you in plain text. + + If the list supports more than one language, you may be able + to choose your preferred language. Note: This setting does not + affect posts to the list, only pre-prepared Mailman texts such + as your member options page. + 3. Press the subscribe button. A new page should appear telling you + that your request has been sent. + + Using the email interface: + 1. Open a mail program which sends mail from the address you want to + subscribe. + 2. Send a mail to the list subscription address, which will be in the + form LISTNAME-join@DOMAIN. The subject and body of the message will + be ignored, so it doesn't matter what you put there. + + After following one of these sets of instructions (you don't need to do + both!), there are a few possible outcomes depending upon the settings + for that list. + * You may receive an email message asking for confirmation that you + really want to be subscribed to the list. This is to prevent anyone + from subscribing you to lists without your permission. Follow the + instructions given in the message to confirm your wish to be + subscribed. + * A moderator may also need to confirm your subscription if you are + subscribing to a limited list. + * Or you may have to wait for a moderator and follow the instructions + in the confirmation mail. + + Once this is done, you will likely receive another message welcoming + you to the list. This message contains some useful information + including your list password and some quick links for changing your + options, so you may want to save it for later reference. + + Note: Subscribing can be done in other ways as well. See Appendix A for + more advanced email subscribing commands. + +5.2 How do I leave a list? (unsubscribe) + + Don't want to be on a list any more? If you're just going on vacation + or are too busy to read mails and want to temporarily turn them off, + you may want to stop mail delivery rather than unsubscribing. This + means you keep your password and other settings so you can, for + example, still have access to private list archives. If this is what + you'd prefer, see Section 7.1 for instructions on disabling mail + delivery temporarily. + + If you actually want to leave the list, there are two common ways you + can unsubscribe from a Mailman mailing list. + + Using the web interface: + 1. Go to the list information page for the list you want to leave. + (This will probably be something like + http://WEBSERVER/mailman/listinfo/LISTNAME) + 2. Look for the section marked "LISTNAME subscribers" (usually found + near the bottom of the page). + 3. There should be a button marked "Unsubscribe or Edit Options." + Enter your email address in the box beside this button and press + the button. + 4. You should be brought to a new page which has an "Unsubscribe" + button. Press it to unsubscribe and follow the instructions given. + + Using the email interface: + 1. Open a mail program which sends mail from the address you want to + unsubscribe. + 2. Send a mail to the list unsubscribe address, which will be of the + form LISTNAME-leave@DOMAIN. The subject and body of this message + will be ignored, so it doesn't matter what you put there. + + After following one of these sets of instructions (you don't need to do + both!), you will be sent a confirmation mail and must follow the + instructions given in that mail to complete the unsubscription. This is + to stop people from unsubscribing you without your permission. In + addition, a moderator may need to approve your unsubscription. + + If you do not receive this confirmation mail with instructions, make + sure that you typed your email address correctly (if you were using the + web interface to unsubscribe) and that the address you tried to + unsubscribe is, indeed, actually subscribed to that list. For security + reasons, Mailman generates the same member options page regardless of + whether the address entered is subscribed or not. This means that + people cannot use this part of the web interface to find out if someone + is subscribed to the list, but it also means that it's hard to tell if + you just made a typo. + + Once your unsubscription has been processed, you will will probably + receive another message confirming your unsubscription from the list, + and at that point you should stop receiving messages. + + If you wish to skip the confirmation process (for example, you might be + unsubscribing an address which no longer works), it is possible to + bypass it by using your password instead and either logging in to your + options page using it (See Section 3.1), or sending it with your email + commands to LISTNAME-request (See Appendix A for advanced email + unsubscription commands). See Section 6.1 for more information on + getting your password. + + 6 Passwords + + Your password was either set by you or generated by Mailman when you + subscribed. You probably got a copy of it in a welcome message sent + when you joined the list, and you may also receive a reminder of it + every month. It is used to verify your identity to Mailman so that only + the holder of the password (you!) and the administrators can view and + change your settings. + + Warning: Do NOT use a valuable password for Mailman, since it can be + sent in plain text to you. + +6.1 How do I get my password? + + If you've forgotten your password and haven't saved the welcome message + or any reminder messages, you can always get a reminder through the web + interface: + + 1. Go to the list information page for the list from which you wish to + get your password (This will probably be something like + http://WEBSERVER/mailman/listinfo/LISTNAME) + 2. Look for the section marked "LISTNAME subscribers" (this section is + usually found near the bottom of the page). + 3. There should be a button marked "Unsubscribe or Edit Options." + Enter your email address in the box beside this button and press + the button. + 4. You should be brought to a new page which has an "Password + Reminder" section. Press the "Remind" button to have your password + emailed to you. + + If you do not receive the password reminder email after doing this, + make sure that you typed your email address correctly and that the + address you used is, indeed, actually subscribed to that list. For + security reasons, Mailman generates the same member options page + regardless of whether the address entered is subscribed or not. This + means that people cannot use this part of the web interface to find out + if someone is subscribed to the list, but it also means that it's hard + to tell if you just made a typo. + + You can also get a reminder using the email interface, + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command password + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + If you are not sending mail from your subscribed address, you can + also specify this address by sending the command password address= + $<$ ADDRESS $>$ . + +6.2 How do I change my password? + + Warning: Do NOT use a valuable password, since this password may be + mailed to you in plain text. + + From the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for + instructions on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the password changing boxes on the right-hand side of the + page and enter your new password in the appropriate boxes, then + press the button marked "Change My Password." + + This can also be changed for multiple lists at the same time if you are + subscribed to more than one list on the same domain. See Section 10.1 + for information about changing settings globally. + + From the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command password + $<$ OLDPASSWORD $>$ $<$ NEWPASSWORD $>$ . + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + If you are not sending mail from your membership address, you can + also specify this address with address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ after $<$ + NEWPASSWORD $>$ . + For example, if kathy@here.com wanted to change her mylist password + from zirc to miko, but she was sending mail from her work address + kathy@work.com, she could send a message to + mylist-request@example.com with the subject set to + password zirc miko address=kathy@here.com. + +6.3 How do I turn password reminders on or off? (reminders option) + + If you don't wish to the reminder email including your password every + month, you can disable it from the member options page. (You can always + get the password mailed out when you actually want it. See Section 6.1 + for instructions.) + + Using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for + instructions on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Get password reminder email for this + list?" and change the value accordingly. + + This can also be changed for multiple lists at the same time if you are + subscribed to more than one list on the same domain. See Section 10.1 + for information about changing settings globally. + + Using the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command + set reminders on or set reminders off. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "on" to receive reminders, and "off" to stop receiving + reminders. + + 7 Changing mail delivery + +7.1 How do I turn mail delivery on or off? (delivery option) + + You may wish to temporarily stop getting messages from the list without + having to unsubscribe. If you disable mail delivery, you will no longer + receive messages, but will still be a subscriber and will retain your + password and other settings. + + This can be handy in a many different cases. For example, you could be + going on vacation or need a break from the list because you're too busy + to read any extra mail. Many mailing lists also allow only subscribers + to post to the list, so if you commonly send mail from more than one + address (eg, one address for at home and another for when you're + travelling), you may want to have more than one subscribed account, but + have only one of them actually receive mail. You can also use this as a + way to read private archives even on a list which may be too busy for + you to have sent directly to your mailbox. All you need to do is + subscribe, disable mail delivery, and use your password and email to + log in to the archives. + + To disable/enable mail delivery using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your options page. (See Section 3.1 for instructions.) + 2. Go down to the section marked "Mail delivery" and select "Disabled" + to stop receiving mail, and "Enabled" to start receiving mail. + + This can also be changed for multiple lists at the same time if you are + subscribed to more than one list on the same domain. See Section 10.1 + for information about changing settings globally. + + To disable/enable mail delivery using the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command + set delivery off or set delivery on. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "off" to stop receiving posts, and "on" to start + receiving them again. + +7.2 How can I avoid getting duplicate messages? (duplicates option) + + Mailman can't completely stop you from getting duplicate messages, but + it can help. One common reason people get multiple copies of a mail is + that the sender has used a "group reply" function to send mail to both + the list and some number of individuals. If you want to avoid getting + these messages, Mailman can be set to check and see if you are in the + To: or CC: lines of the message. If your address appears there, then + Mailman can be told not to deliver another copy to you. + + To turn this on or off using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to the section marked "Avoid + duplicate copies of messages?" and change the value accordingly. + + This can also be changed for multiple lists at the same time if you are + subscribed to more than one list on the same domain. See Section 10.1 + for information about changing settings globally. + + To turn this on or off using the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command + set duplicates on or set duplicates off. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "on" to receive list copies of messages already sent to + you, set it to "off" to avoid receiving these duplicates. + +7.3 How do I change my subscription address? + + To change your subscription address, + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. In the section marked "Changing your LISTNAME membership + information," enter your new address. + 3. If you wish to change your address for all subscriptions using the + old address, select the "Change globally" box. If you have + subscriptions under another address or for lists on a different + domain, these will have to be done separately. See Section 10.1 for + more information about changing settings globally. + + There is no special way to do this from the email interface, but you + can subscribe and unsubscribe for more or less the same effect. (See + Sections 5.1 and 5.2 for more information on subscribing and + unsubscribing.) + +7.4 How do I stop or start getting copies of my own posts? (myposts option) + + By default in Mailman, you get a copy of every post you send to the + list. Some people like this since it lets them know when the post has + gone through and means they have a copy of their own words with the + rest of a discussion, but others don't want to bother downloading + copies of their own posts. + + Note: This option has no effect if you are receiving digests. + + You may also want to see Section 7.5, which discusses acknowledgement + emails for posts sent to the list. + + To set this using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Receive your own posts to the list?" + Set it to "Yes" to receive copies of your own posts, and "No" to + avoid receiving them. + + To set this using the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command + set myposts on or set myposts off. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "on" to receive copies of your own posts, and "off" to + avoid receiving them. + +7.5 How can I get Mailman to tell me when my post has been received by the list? +(ack option) + + On most lists, you will simply receive a copy of your mail when it has + gone through the list software, but if this is disabled (See + Section 7.4), your list mail delivery is disabled (See Section 7.1), + you are not subscribed to that topic (See Section 9.2) or you simply + want an extra acknowledgement from the system, this option may be + useful to you. + + Note: If you are not subscribed to the list, this option cannot be + used. You must either check the archives yourself (if the list has + public archives), ask someone who is subscribed to the list, or + subscribe to use this option. + + To set this using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Receive acknowledgement mail when you + send mail to the list?" Set it to "Yes" to receive a mail letting + you know your post has been received, and "No" to avoid receiving + such an acknowledgement. + + To set this using the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command set ack on + or set ack off. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "on" if you wish to receive mail letting you know your + post has been received, and "off" to avoid receiving such an + acknowledgement. + +7.6 I don't seem to be getting mail from the lists. What should I do? + + There are a few common reasons for this: + * No one has sent any mail to the list(s) you're on for a little + while. + To check if this is the case, try visiting the archives of the list + (assuming that the list has archives). If the list has no archives, + you may have to ask another subscriber. (See Section 3.1 for help + in finding the list archives.) + Note: Generally, it is considered impolite to send test messages to + the entire list. If you feel a need to test that the list is + working and for some reason you cannot simply compose a regular + message to the list, it is less disruptive to send a help message + to the list request address (LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN) to see if + that works, or to contact the list administrator + (LISTNAME-owner@DOMAIN) to ask if the list is working. + * You were bouncing mail and have had mail delivery (temporarily) + disabled by the list software. + If your mail provider "bounces" too many messages (that is, it + tells Mailman that the message could not be delivered) Mailman + eventually stops trying to send you mail. This feature allows + Mailman to gracefully handle addresses which no longer exist (for + example, the subscriber has found a new internet service provider + and forgot to unsubscribe the old address), as well as addresses + which are temporarily out-of-service (for example, the subscriber + has used up all of the allotted space for his or her email account, + or the subscriber's mail provider is experiencing difficulties). + Even if you are unaware of any difficulties with your mail + provider, it is a good idea to check this. Some popular webmail + providers and internet servers are not as reliable as one might + assume, nor is the internet as a whole. You may want to also send + yourself a test message from another account or ask a friend to + send you a test message to make sure your subscribed address is + working. + To check if this may be the reason you are not receiving messages, + log in to the your options page (See Section 3.1 for more details + on how to do this) and look at your options. There should be one + marked "Mail Delivery" - if it is set to "Disabled," set it to + "Enabled" to start receiving mail again. (For more instructions on + disabling or enabling mail delivery, see Section 7.1.) + Note: Even if you have not been disabled at the time you check, you + could be bouncing messages and not have reached the threshold for + your subscription to be disabled. You may need to check again. + * There is a delay or break in the networks between you and the list + server. + No matter what many of us would like, the internet is not 100% + reliable, nor is it always fast. Sometimes, messages simply take a + long time to get to you. Try to be patient, especially if the + server is far (in terms of networks, not geography, although often + one implies the other) from your internet service provider. + To check if this might be causing your problem, you can try pinging + the list server or tracing the route between you and it. + (Instructions on how to do this varies from platform to platform, + so you may want to use a search engine to find those appropriate + for you.) + * The Mailman installation on the list server is not functioning or + not functioning properly. + To test if this is a case, try visiting the list's web interface + and try sending a message to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the + command "help" (without the quotes) in the Subject:. If neither of + these works after a reasonable length of time, this may be the + problem. You may wish to contact either the list or site + administrator(s). + + 8 Digests + +8.1 How can I start or stop getting the list posts grouped into one big email? +(digest option) + + Groups of posts are called "digests" in Mailman. Rather than get + messages one at a time, you can get messages grouped together. On a + moderately busy list, this typically means you get one email per day, + although it may be more or less frequent depending upon the list. + + You may also want to look at Section 8.2 which discusses MIME and plain + text digests. + + To turn digest mode on or off using the web interface, + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Set Digest Mode." + Set it to "On" to receive messages bundled together in digests. Set + it to "Off" to receive posts separately. + + To turn digest mode on or off using the email interface, + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command + set digest plain or set digest mime or set digest off. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "off" if you wish to receive individual posts separately, + and to "plain" or "mime" to receive posts grouped into one large + mail. See Section 8.2 for more information on plain versus MIME + digests. + +8.2 What are MIME and Plain Text Digests? How do I change which one I get? +(digest option) + + MIME is short for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions. It is used to + send things by email which are not necessarily simple plain text. (For + example, MIME would be used if you were sending a picture of your dog + to a friend.) + + A MIME digest has each message as an attachment inside the message, + along with a summary table of contents. + + A plain text digest is a simpler form of digest, which should be + readable even in mail readers which don't support MIME. The messages + are simply put one after the other into one large text message. + + Most modern mail programs do support MIME, so you only need to choose + plain text digests if you are having trouble reading the MIME ones. + + Note: This option has no effect if you are not receiving mail bunched + as digests. (See Section 8.1 for more information on receiving mail as + digests.) + + To set your digest type using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Get MIME or Plain Text Digests?." + Set it to "MIME" to receive digests in MIME format, or "Plain text" + to receive digests in plain text format. + + This can also be changed for multiple lists at the same time if you are + subscribed to more than one list on the same domain. See Section 10.1 + for information about changing settings globally. + + To set your digest type using the email interface, + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command + set digest plain or set digest mime. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "plain" to get posts bundled into a plain text digest, or + "mime" to get posts bundled together into a MIME digest. + + 9 Mailing list topics + + Some lists are set up so that different topics are handled by Mailman. + For example, the courses list on Linuxchix.org is a discussion list for + courses being run by linuxchix members, and often there are several + courses being run at the same time. (eg: Networking for beginners, C + programming, LaTeX document mark up.) Each of the courses being run is + a separate topic on the list so that people can choose only to receive + the course they want to take. + + These topics must be configured by the list administrator, but it is + the responsibility of each poster to make sure that their post is put + with the correct topic. Usually, this means adding a tag of some type + to the subject line (eg: [Networking] What type of cables do I need?) + or making sure the Keywords: line has the right information. (By + default, you can put a Keywords: section in the beginning of the body + of your message, but this can be configured by your list + administrator.) Note that these tags are case-insensitive. + +9.1 How do I make sure that my post has the right topic? + + When a list administrator defines a topic, he or she sets three things: + * a topic name + * a regular expression (regexp) + * a description + + You can view this information by logging in to your member options + page. (See Section 3.1 for more details on how to do this.) and + clicking on the "details" link for any topic that interests you. + + To post on a given topic, you need to make sure that the Keywords: or + Subject: headers in a message match the regular expression for that + topic. Regular expressions can actually be fairly complex, so you may + want to just ask the list administrator if you don't know how to make + heads or tails of the expression given. + + Most Mailman topic expressions will be fairly simple regular + expressions, so in this document we will simply give you some common + examples. Regular expressions are a bit too complex to teach in a few + lines here, so if you really want to understand how the regular + expressions work, you should find a tutorial or reference elsewhere. + (For example, DevShed has a decent tutorial at + http://www.devshed.com/Server_Side/Administration/RegExp/) + + Here are some examples of possible regular expressions and matching + lines: + +Regular expression Matching lines +zuff Keywords: zuff +zuff Keywords: ZUFF +zuff Keywords: Zuff +zuff Keywords: amaryllis, zuff, applesauce +zuff Subject: [zuff] Do you have the right stuff for zuff? +zuff Subject: Do you have the right stuff for zuff? +zuff Subject: What is zuff? +\[zuff\] Keywords: [zuff] +\[zuff\] Subject: [zuff] Do you have the right stuff? +\[zuff\] Subject: Online zuff tutorials (was Re: [zuff] What is zuff?) + + A few notes: + * The matching is case-insensitive, so if zuff matches, so will ZUFF, + zuFF, and any other variations in capitalization. + * Some characters have special meaning in a regular expression, so to + match those characters specifically, they must be "escaped" with a + backslash (\). As you can see in the above example, [ and ] are + such characters. (Others include ".", "?", and "*"). The backslash + is also used for other things (I wasn't kidding about regular + expressions being complex: consult other documentation for details + about other uses of the backslash character), but this is the most + likely use in a topic expression. + +9.2 How do I subscribe to all or only some topics on a list? + + If topics have been set up by your mailing list administrator, you can + choose to subscribe to only part of a list by selecting the topics you + want to receive. + + If you wish to get all messages sent to the list, make sure you are not + subscribed to any topics. + + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Which topic categories would you like + to subscribe to?" + If any topics are defined, you can select those you wish. If you do + not select any topics of interest, you will receive all posts sent + to the list. + + You probably also want to look at Section 9.3 which discusses changing + your settings for messages where no topic is set. + +9.3 How do I get or avoid getting messages with no topic set? + + If you wish to get all messages sent to the list, make sure you are not + subscribed to any specific topic. (See Section 9.2.) + + If you are only subscribed to some topics, you can either choose to + either receive or not receive messages with no topic set, much the way + you can choose to subscribe only to certain topics. + + To change this setting, + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. Look for the section marked "Do you want to receive message that do + not match any topic filter?" + If you wish to receive messages with no topic set, select "Yes." If + you do not wish to receive such messages, choose "No." + + This setting has no effect if you are not subscribed to any topics. + + 10 Setting other options + +10.1 Change Globally? Set Globally? What does that mean? + + For some of the options given in your member options page, there is a + tick-box which says "Change Globally" or "Set Globally." This means + that if you change this option, you can also have the change made for + all your other list subscriptions with the same address to lists on the + same domain. This can be handy if, for example, you want to make sure + all your passwords are the same, or you are going on vacation and want + to turn off mail delivery from all the lists. + +10.2 How do I change my name as Mailman knows it? + + To change your subscription name, + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for more + details on how to do this.) + 2. In the section marked "Changing your LISTNAME membership + information," enter your new name in the appropriate box. + + This can also be changed for multiple lists at the same time if you are + subscribed to more than one list on the same domain. See Section 10.1 + for information about changing settings globally. + + Note: You do not need to have a subscription name set. + +10.3 How do I set my preferred language? + + Mailman is available with many different languages. (For a complete + listing see http://mailman.sourceforge.net/i18n.html.) This means that, + if your list has other languages enabled, you may be able to have the + web interface, etc. in a language of your choice. + + Note: This does NOT necessarily mean that all the posts sent to the + list will be in the language you selected. Only the pre-prepared texts + presented by Mailman will be affected by this setting. Posts are in + whatever language the poster uses. + + Your preferred language is set when you subscribe (see Section5.1), and + can be changed later if the list supports more than one language. + + To change your preferred language in Mailman, + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for + instructions on how to do this.) + 2. Go to the section marked "What language do you prefer?" and choose + the appropriate language from the drop-down list. If there is no + drop-down list of languages, the list you are on probably only + supports one language. + + If your list does not support the language you would prefer to use, you + may contact the list administrator (LISTNAME-owner@DOMAIN) to see if it + can be added, but remember that this may mean some work that the list + and/or site administrator(s) do not have time or the ability to do. + + If your language of choice is not available because no translation + exists for Mailman, please consider volunteering your time as a + translator. For more information you may want to consult the + mailman-i18n mailing list at + http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/mailman-i18n. (i18n is a common + short-hand for "internationalization" because the word starts with an + i, ends with an n, and has 18 letters in between. If you mumble a bit, + i18n even sounds a bit like "internationalization.") + +10.4 How do I avoid having my name appear on the subscribers list? (the hide +option) + + If you do not want to have your email address show up on the subscriber + list for any reason, you can opt to have it concealed. + + Common reasons for doing this include avoiding unsolicited bulk email + (spam). By default, the subscribers list is obscured to hinder spam + harvesters, but if you feel this is insufficient it's easy enough to + remove address from the subscriber list given in the information pages + or by email request. (Note that this does not conceal your address from + the list administrators.) You may wish to see Section 11.2 for more + information on what Mailman can do to help avoid spam. + + To change this setting using the web interface: + 1. Log in to your member options page. (See Section 3.1 for + instructions on how to do this.) + 2. Go to the section marked "Conceal yourself from subscriber list?" + and choose "Yes" to hide your name from the list, or "No" to allow + your name to appear on the list. + + To change this setting using the email interface: + 1. Send a mail to LISTNAME-request@DOMAIN with the command set hide on + or set hide off. + Commands can appear in either the body or the subject of the + message. (See Section 3.2 for more information about sending mail + commands.) + 2. Set it to "on" to conceal your email address from the membership + list, or "off" to stop concealing your address. + + 11 Other common questions + +11.1 How do I view the list archives? + + If the list has archives, they can be viewed by going to a web page + address. This address usually linked from the list information page and + can be found in the List-Archive: of every list message unless your + list administrator has disabled these headers. (Many mail programs hide + the List-Archive: mail header, so you may have to tell your mail + program to allow you to view full headers before you will be able to + see it.) + + Public archives usually have addresses of the form + http://WEBSERVER/pipermail/LISTNAME/ and private archives usually have + addresses of the form http://WEBSERVER/mailman/private/LISTNAME. + + See Section 3.1 for more information on finding the addresses of a + list. + +11.2 What does Mailman do to help protect me from unsolicited bulk email (spam)? + + A technical list's archives may include answers to a range of different + questions. Often, the people who have posted these answers would be + happy to help someone who doesn't quite understand the answer, and + don't mind giving their address out for that purpose. But although it + would be wonderful if everyone could contact each other easily, we also + want to make sure that the list and list archives are not abused by + people who send spam. + + To make a range of options available to list administrators, Mailman + allows a variety of configurations to help protect email addresses. + Many of these settings are optional to the list administrator, so your + particular list may be set up in many ways. List administrators must + walk a fine line between protecting subscribers and making it difficult + for people to get in touch. + + * Subscriber lists + + The list administrator can choose to have the subscriber list + public, viewable only to list members, or viewable only to + list administrators. + + The subscriber list is shown with the addresses obscured to + make it difficult for spam harvesters to collect your address. + + You can choose to have your address hidden from the subscriber + list. (See Section 10.4 for more information.) + + Note: The entire subscriber list is always available to the + list administrators. + * List archives + + The list administrator can choose for the archives to be + public, viewable only to members (private), or completely + unavailable. + + The HTML archives which are created by Pipermail (the + archiving program which comes default with Mailman) contain + only obscured addresses. Other archiving programs are + available and can do different levels of obfuscation to make + addresses less readable. + + If you wish to be more sure, you can set the mail header + X-no-archive: and Mailman will not archive your posts. + Warning: This does not stop other members from quoting your + posts, possibly even including your email address. + * Limited posting to the lists + + The list administrator can choose who can post to the list. + Most lists are either moderated (a moderator or administrator + reviews each posting), set so only subscribers may post to the + list, or allow anyone to post to the list. + + By allowing only subscribers to post to a list, Mailman often + blocks all spam and some viruses from being sent through the + list. As such, this is a fairly common setting used by list + administrators. + * Anonymous lists + + Lists can also be made fully anonymous: all identifying + information about the sender is stripped from the header + before the message is sent on. + + This is not typically used for anti-spam measures (it has + other uses), but it could be used in that way if desired. + + Of course, many address-obscuring methods can be circumvented by + determined people, so be aware that the protections used may not be + enough. + + 1 Email commands quick reference + + * confirm $<$ CONFIRMATION-STRING $>$ + + Confirm an action. The confirmation-string is required and + should be supplied within a mailback confirmation notice. + * end + + Stop processing commands. Use this if your mail program + automatically adds a signature file. + * help + + Receive a copy of the help message. + * info + + Get information about this mailing list. + * lists + + See a list of the public mailing lists on this GNU Mailman + server. + * password [ $<$ OLDPASSWORD $>$ $<$ NEWPASSWORD $>$ ] [address= $<$ + ADDRESS $>$ ] + + Retrieve or change your password. With no arguments, this + returns your current password. With arguments $<$ OLDPASSWORD + $>$ and $<$ NEWPASSWORD $>$ you can change your password. + * set ... + + Set or view your membership options. + Use `set help' (without the quotes) to get a more detailed + list of the options you can change. This list is also given in + Appendix B. + Use `set show' (without the quotes) to view your current + option settings. + * subscribe [ $<$ PASSWORD $>$ ] [digest|nodigest] [address= $<$ + ADDRESS $>$ ] + + Subscribe to this mailing list. Your password must be given to + unsubscribe or change your options, but if you omit the + password, one will be generated for you. You may be + periodically reminded of your password. + The next argument may be either: `nodigest' or `digest' (no + quotes!). If you wish to subscribe an address other than the + address you sent this request from, you may specify `address= + $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ' (no brackets around the email address, and + no quotes!) + * unsubscribe [ $<$ PASSWORD $>$ ] [address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ] + + Unsubscribe from the mailing list. If given, your password + must match your current password. If omitted, a confirmation + email will be sent to the unsubscribing address. If you wish + to unsubscribe an address other than the address you sent this + request from, you may specify `address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ' (no + brackets around the email address, and no quotes!) + * who [ $<$ PASSWORD $>$ ] [address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ] + + See everyone who is on this mailing list. The roster is + limited to list members only, and you must supply your + membership password to retrieve it. If you're posting from an + address other than your membership address, specify your + membership address with `address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ' (no + brackets around the email address, and no quotes!) + + 2 Member options quick reference + + * set help + + Show this detailed help. + * set show [address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ] + + View your current option settings. If you're posting from an + address other than your membership address, specify your + membership address with `address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ' (no + brackets around the email address, and no quotes!). + * set authenticate $<$ PASSWORD $>$ [address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ] + + To set any of your options, you must include this command + first, along with your membership password. If you're posting + from an address other than your membership address, specify + your membership address with `address= $<$ ADDRESS $>$ ' (no + brackets around the email address, and no quotes!). + * set ack on + set ack off + + When the `ack' option is turned on, you will receive an + acknowledgement message whenever you post a message to the + list. + * set digest plain + set digest mime + set digest off + + When the `digest' option is turned off, you will receive + postings immediately when they are posted. Use `set digest + plain' if instead you want to receive postings bundled into a + plain text digest (i.e. RFC 1153 digest). Use `set digest + mime' if instead you want to receive postings bundled together + into a MIME digest. + * set delivery on + set delivery off + + Turn delivery on or off. This does not unsubscribe you, but + instead tells Mailman not to deliver messages to you for now. + This is useful if you're going on vacation. Be sure to use + `set delivery on' when you return from vacation! + * set myposts on + set myposts off + + Use `set myposts off' to avoid receiving copies of messages + you post to the list. This has no effect if you're receiving + digests. + * set hide on + set hide off + + Use `set hide on' to conceal your email address when people + request the membership list. + * set duplicates on + set duplicates off + + Use `set duplicates off' if you want Mailman not to send you + messages if your address is explicitly mentioned in the To: or + Cc: fields of the message. This can reduce the number of + duplicate postings you will receive. + * set reminders on + set reminders off + + Use `set reminders off' if you want to disable the monthly + password reminder for this mailing list. + + About this document ... + + GNU Mailman - List Member Manual, December 5, 2007, Release 2.1 + + This document was generated using the LaTeX2HTML translator. + + LaTeX2HTML is Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, Nikos Drakos, + Computer Based Learning Unit, University of Leeds, and Copyright © + 1997, 1998, Ross Moore, Mathematics Department, Macquarie University, + Sydney. + + The application of LaTeX2HTML to the Python documentation has been + heavily tailored by Fred L. Drake, Jr. Original navigation icons were + contributed by Christopher Petrilli. + __________________________________________________________________ + + Previous Page Up one Level Next Page GNU Mailman - List Member Manual + __________________________________________________________________ + + Release 2.1, documentation updated on December 5, 2007. |