MANAGING AND REDISTRIBUTING MAILING LISTS

The tools described below allow you to set up a mailing list that is
- archived in a single file if you wish
- archived in one file per volume/issue if you wish
- gatewayed to a newsgroup (bi-directionally if you wish)
- well-behaved (the bounces go back to the owner, not to the whole list)
- protected from unauthorized perusal if you wish.

This requires something like the following aliases to be set-up.

    example: "|/local/lib/mail/bin/moderate example-owner example-people",
	    "|/local/lib/mail/bin/distribute -a example -n list.example"
    example-request: lamy
    example-owner: lamy
    example-people:	":include:/local/share/mail/lists/example"

For bi-directional gatewaying you need to edit the sys file on the news
server:

    list.example:list.example/all::/news/bin/mailgateway example@ai.toronto.edu

The tools used are as follows:

a) redistributing a mailing list

moderate:     used for setting up mail aliases so that bounces don't pester
	      the whole membership.  Typically the members of the list will
	      be another alias that invokes "distribute" (below) so that
	      the contents get archived or/and fed to newsgroups.

b) gatewaying mailing lists to newsgroups, archival

distribute:   takes a message, forwards it to mail recipients, gateways
	      into newsgroups, and archives the articles either one article
	      per file or mailbox style.

appendfile:   setuid append program; required so that sensitive lists can
	      be protected.


c) gatewaying of newsgroups into mailing lists (bidirectionally as well).

mailgateway:  Used on the news server, and invoked from the sys file, this
	      script allows notification of people who can't/won't read news.
	      Messages posted to a newsgroup are fed to a mailing list, except
	      if the message appears to have come from the mailing list in the
	      first place.  This is detected by looking for the Approved:
	      header "distribute" tacks on.  News control messages are
	      weeded out.