Marc Perkel's Feature Wish List
I have a few items I'd like to add to the wish list. I have looked at the todo list and I think what I'm going to ask for is not on the list already. If it is - I appoligize.
I have set up the system and I've been running it for a few weeks and I really like it. But there's a few little missing features - many of which should be easy to add, that I hope you developers will consider. I'm the systems admin for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
User Aliases
I'd like to be able to enter (and/or allow the user to enter) other email addresses that if they sens email from the other address they have the same membership privileges as the original member email address. Thus if gnu@eff.org is in the list but the email comes from gnu@toad.com then it is treated the same. Ideally - the user could make these aliases and it would apply to all lists the user is a member of.
Master Lists of Lists and Master admin page:
Right now the url http://domain.com/mailman/admin goes to a page that just shows public lists. I'd like to see a link there that goes to a master admin page - where you first have to enter the master password - and then you get several master admin options - including:
- A list of all lists - links to the admin pages of each list whether public or not.
- Menu to create a new list - avoiding the need to go to the command line.
- Change master Password.
- All other master maintenance stuff - checking the database integrity
- that sort of thing.
- Delete a list.
- Options for list owners - that would allow/not allow list owners to delete a list.
- Control of other list manager privileges - virtual domain owners - etc.
- Menu to set defaults for new list creation - or defaults for new lists on a per virtual domain basis.
List Membership and Priveleges
Mailman allows a list of people (nonmembers) who are allowed to post to the list. The list normally contains additional email addresses. I would like to see the ability to refer to the entire membership of other lists for membership/or posting privileges. For example "@otherlistname" could mean to include all the members of another list as being allowed to post to this list. Thus you could create an umbrella list - containing 3 other lists - and make the list postable by the members of any of the three lists (and thier personal aliases) and no one else.
Additionally - I'd like to enter a flat file reference "/usr/lists/viplist" to include as people who can also post. So if I have 50 lists and we get a new board member - I don't have to add them as a privileged person to 50 lists.
Global Individual Passwords and Parameters
If I set my password - that should be my password for all lists. This also applies to my real name - for whenever you add that - and other info about me as a user that I chose to set - such as my email aliases - my home page - my favorite links - or whatever. Maybe the ability to have a checkbox on some "per list" setting that allow me to apply the changes to all lists.
Global Blacklists:
Some people play by the rules - some don't. It would be nice to have global blacklist and global whitelist features to control spammers and those who otherwise misbehave.
Moderation Defaults
I'd like a setting so that if non-members post to the list that their messages are automatically dropped (bounced) without list owner intervention. The bounce message should be able to be customized giving the user information to join the list - or just go to hell.
Anyhow --- many of these features could be easilly added - many might take some serious work - but - I thought I'd add this to the wanted list in case no one else thought of these things.
Marc Perkel /root EFF
On Wed, Jan 02, 2002 at 02:11:59PM -0800, Marc Perkel wrote:
Moderation Defaults
I'd like a setting so that if non-members post to the list that their messages are automatically dropped (bounced) without list owner intervention. The bounce message should be able to be customized giving the user information to join the list - or just go to hell.
I've got a patch to do that against 2.0.8 which works for new lists. If someone could tell me what the right way is to add an entry into an existing database I'd have a complete patch.
-- The 5 year plan: In five years we'll make up another plan. Or just re-use this one.
"MP" == Marc Perkel <marc@perkel.com> writes:
MP> I have set up the system and I've been running it for a few
MP> weeks and I really like it. But there's a few little missing
MP> features - many of which should be easy to add, that I hope
MP> you developers will consider. I'm the systems admin for the
MP> Electronic Frontier Foundation.Ah, an excellent organization!
MP> I'd like to be able to enter (and/or allow the user to enter)
MP> other email addresses that if they sens email from the other
MP> address they have the same membership privileges as the
MP> original member email address. Thus if gnu@eff.org is in the
MP> list but the email comes from gnu@toad.com then it is treated
MP> the same. Ideally - the user could make these aliases and it
MP> would apply to all lists the user is a member of.This will be added after MM2.1 when I consolidate the user database. For now, I've added a FAQ entry describing the workaround:
http://www.python.org/cgi-bin/faqw-mm.py?req=show&file=faq02.001.htp
MP> Right now the url http://domain.com/mailman/admin goes to a
MP> page that just shows public lists. I'd like to see a link
MP> there that goes to a master admin page - where you first have
MP> to enter the master password - and then you get several master
MP> admin options - including:An excellent idea. The way to do this is to have a `site' cgi script which provides the functionality. I think it's too late to add this to MM2.1, unless someone contributes the code. I'm offline right now, but I would suggest you add these ideas to the Mailman wiki:
http://www.zope.org/Members/bwarsaw/MailmanDesignNotes/FrontPageperhaps to the MM3 notes section? Or better yet, add them to the Feature Request tracker on the SourceForge project.
MP> 2) Menu to create a new list - avoiding the need to go to the
MP> command
MP> line.Please note that MM2.1 will let you create new lists thru-the-web. The link is on the admin overview page.
MP> Mailman allows a list of people (nonmembers) who are allowed
MP> to post to the list. The list normally contains additional
MP> email addresses. I would like to see the ability to refer to
MP> the entire membership of other lists for membership/or posting
MP> privileges. For example "@otherlistname" could mean to include
MP> all the members of another list as being allowed to post to
MP> this list. Thus you could create an umbrella list - containing
MP> 3 other lists - and make the list postable by the members of
MP> any of the three lists (and thier personal aliases) and no one
MP> else.
MP> Additionally - I'd like to enter a flat file reference
MP> "/usr/lists/viplist" to include as people who can also
MP> post. So if I have 50 lists and we get a new board member - I
MP> don't have to add them as a privileged person to 50 lists.You will be able to do both these things in MM2.1, but you'll have to hack a little Python. MM2.1 has an extension mechanism which would let you a small Python module to get this behavior. I agree that both are worthwhile and I'd like to see a more integrated approach for a future version.
MP> If I set my password - that should be my password for all
MP> lists. This also applies to my real name - for whenever you
MP> add that - and other info about me as a user that I chose to
MP> set - such as my email aliases - my home page - my favorite
MP> links - or whatever. Maybe the ability to have a checkbox on
MP> some "per list" setting that allow me to apply the changes to
MP> all lists.This checkbox exists in MM2.1. You can change your RealName, email address, or password globally, i.e. on all lists in that (virtual) domain.
It's a bit of a hack internally, but a more principled approach will be added when the consolidated user database is implemented.
MP> Some people play by the rules - some don't. It would be nice
MP> to have global blacklist and global whitelist features to
MP> control spammers and those who otherwise misbehave.See Mailman/Handlers/SpamDetect.py for the current approach. Requires shell access to the Mailman installation.
MP> I'd like a setting so that if non-members post to the list
MP> that their messages are automatically dropped (bounced)
MP> without list owner intervention. The bounce message should be
MP> able to be customized giving the user information to join the
MP> list - or just go to hell.Hmm, except for the customizable bounce information, this exists in MM2.1. You can also auto-discard certain addresses, and do address matching on explicit address or regular expression.
MP> Anyhow --- many of these features could be easilly added -
MP> many might take some serious work - but - I thought I'd add
MP> this to the wanted list in case no one else thought of these
MP> things.The best thing to do, if you don't want these good suggestions to get lost, is to add them to a more permanent artifact, like the feature request tracker or the Mailman wiki.
Cheers, -Barry
participants (3)
-
barry＠zope.com -
Marc Perkel -
Peter C. Norton