[comp.unix.xenix.sco] SCO-LIST Mailing List and Duplicate Messages

itkin@mrspoc.Transact.COM (Steven M. List) (03/26/91)

I'm not normally moved to complain quite so publicly about a service
someone is providing for free.  But the SCO-LIST mailing list has gone
from being something useful or potentially useful to a real PAIN!  The
blame is being placed on UUNET, where the list is maintained.  Every 
member of the list has been receiving DOZENS of copies of each message
during the past week.  One or two duplicates now and then is acceptable,
but this is RIDICULOUS.

Even worse is that it's now a meta-problem - the messages that are being
duplicated are the complaints about duplicate messages!  I CAN'T TAKE IT
ANY MORE!!!!  So I'm saying something publicly.  I maintain mailing lists
myself, and have never subjected my members to anything like this.

Either UUNET or the list administrator MUST take some responsibility for
this.  While I'm not paying for it directly, it is costing me in phone
calls and time.  Those who are PAYING UUNET should be up in arms!  They're
paying for NOISE!

I feel much better now.
-- 
 +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 :                Steven List @ Transact Software, Inc. :^>~                  :
 :           Chairman, Unify User Group of Northern California                :
 :                         itkin@Transact.COM                                 :

mtv@milton.u.washington.edu (David Schanen) (03/28/91)

In article <1991Mar25.220919.9235@mrspoc.Transact.COM> steven@Transact.COM writes:
     ...stuff deleted...

>every member of the list has been receiving DOZENS of copies of each message
>during the past week.  One or two duplicates now and then is acceptable,

     ...more stuff deleted...

Well not every member, in fact I haven't seen any mail at all from the list
for some time, I wonder why?  It seems the mail problems run even deeper than
a bad address somewhere. 

>Either UUNET or the list administrator MUST take some responsibility for this.

Agreed! Send flames to 'owner-sco-list@uunet.uu.net'!

	-Dave

-- 

 Inet: mtv@milton.u.washington.edu  * 8kyu *  UUNET: ...uunet!uw-beaver!u!mtv

bent@lccinc.UUCP (Ben Taylor) (03/28/91)

mtv@milton.u.washington.edu (David Schanen) writes:

>In article <1991Mar25.220919.9235@mrspoc.Transact.COM> steven@Transact.COM writes:
>     ...stuff deleted...
>>every member of the list has been receiving DOZENS of copies of each message
>>during the past week.  One or two duplicates now and then is acceptable,

The list is pretty useful.  The duplicates are generally not too big a deal
but this week was pretty bad.

>     ...more stuff deleted...
>Well not every member, in fact I haven't seen any mail at all from the list
>for some time, I wonder why?  It seems the mail problems run even deeper than
>a bad address somewhere. 

Funny.  I realized when I wasn't getting any more mail from the list.   I
added myself again and was back on the list.  The reason I wasn't getting
any mail from the list was that my mailer died and sent a rejected message
back to the list.  When this happens, you get unsubscribed from the list.
Must have been an avid reader of the list to make sure you got back on the
list when you realized this....

>>Either UUNET or the list administrator MUST take some responsibility for this.

UUNET runs sendmail.  It's not likely to change anytime soon considering the
amount of traffic they support.  Part of the dups problem is that sendmail
hoses up and dies, and then restarts at the beginning of the address list.
Dave has been trying to get the list moved someplace else, but the large
number of non-volunteers makes this difficult.  What are you doing to help
the problem?  I spent time on the phone with UUNET and Dave Ambrust, rather
than suggest we flame the moderator.

>Agreed! Send flames to 'owner-sco-list@uunet.uu.net'!

Ah, folks of little action, frantic fingers and clueless days.

>	-Dave
>-- 
> Inet: mtv@milton.u.washington.edu  * 8kyu *  UUNET: ...uunet!uw-beaver!u!mtv

Ben Taylor
Systems Administrator
LCC Incorporated
uunet!lccinc!bent
(703) 516-7377
"What I say in mine.  My company pays me for work, not opinions"