API/App based access to Mailman/Archives
Is it technically possible to interact via an API from a simple mobile app with different Mailman servers?
My thought is something simple that could in theory be expanded into an app that interfaces with your groups and public groups on Mailman, BuddyPress, Discourse and other open source hosted online groups. You'd paste in the URLs of your online groups/list sites in some way.
Like the olden days of news groups and the experience of an RSS reader, you could quickly scan the number of new posts over X time or since you last opened the app and then dip into the groups of interest and if you can authenticate yourself, post on lists/groups where you are a member.
Thoughts?
I am evaluating whether in the age of Facebook Groups, NextDoor, and mobile apps if an open source/non-commercial path to viable online neighborhood groups with mass participation is possible. We have a bunch of online groups to move from GroupServer for E-Democracy.org.
Thanks, Steven Clift
P.S. I see that this is out there for Discourse: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.discourse
Steven Clift writes:
Is it technically possible to interact via an API from a simple mobile app with different Mailman servers?
Depends on the definition of "interact". Obviously you could use a somewhat stripped-down browser to talk to HyperKitty on different servers.
However, there is no API for getting message data from HyperKitty. Currently the only way to get that is via HTML, which is not a good format for, eg, searching for a topic across multiple forums. It probably would be tedious but not hard to create one, but it's not on our agenda now.
I am evaluating whether in the age of Facebook Groups, NextDoor, and mobile apps if an open source/non-commercial path to viable online neighborhood groups with mass participation is possible.
You might also want to look at Matrix (https:/matrix.org).
Steve
-- Associate Professor Division of Policy and Planning Science http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp/ Faculty of Systems and Information Email: turnbull@sk.tsukuba.ac.jp University of Tsukuba Tel: 029-853-5175 Tennodai 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
On 2/17/21 12:54 AM, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
However, there is no API for getting message data from HyperKitty.
Not true. See, e.g., <https://lists.mailman3.org/archives/api/>.
-- Mark Sapiro <mark@msapiro.net> The highway is for gamblers, San Francisco Bay Area, California better use your sense - B. Dylan
Thanks Stephen. Thanks Mark.
Where is the best place to see the HyperKitty development priorities list?
Per my other note, I am definitely interested in how we can tap experience with presenting the UI/UX to people under 40 who have never been on a mailing list.
In our use case with city politics and neighborhood online groups, the online groups/lists will all die out leaving older email-centric residents isolated if we don't engage younger residents to feel a bit more comfortable with the web or app based group experience.
Thanks, Steven Clift
On Wed, Feb 17, 2021, 11:21 AM Mark Sapiro <mark@msapiro.net> wrote:
On 2/17/21 12:54 AM, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
However, there is no API for getting message data from HyperKitty.
Not true. See, e.g., <https://lists.mailman3.org/archives/api/>.
-- Mark Sapiro <mark@msapiro.net> The highway is for gamblers, San Francisco Bay Area, California better use your sense - B. Dylan
Mailman-Users mailing list -- mailman-users@python.org To unsubscribe send an email to mailman-users-leave@python.org https://mail.python.org/mailman3/lists/mailman-users.python.org/ Mailman FAQ: http://wiki.list.org/x/AgA3 Security Policy: http://wiki.list.org/x/QIA9 Searchable Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/mailman-users@python.org/ https://mail.python.org/archives/list/mailman-users@python.org/
On 2/17/21 10:26 AM, Steven Clift wrote:
Thanks Stephen. Thanks Mark.
Where is the best place to see the HyperKitty development priorities list?
The list is at <https://gitlab.com/mailman/hyperkitty/-/issues>, but it isn't prioritized. If what you want isn't there, you can file additional issues.
-- Mark Sapiro <mark@msapiro.net> The highway is for gamblers, San Francisco Bay Area, California better use your sense - B. Dylan
Mark Sapiro writes:
The list is at <https://gitlab.com/mailman/hyperkitty/-/issues>, but it isn't prioritized. If what you want isn't there, you can file additional issues.
After 2/19 19:00 UTC you can also look at the Mailman Wiki for the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2021 ideas list. This is biased in two ways, first, not all good ideas are of the right scope and content for GSoC, and second it will be based on what I personally think is appropriate.
You (and enybody else) are welcome to suggest new ideas based on your needs. The bar is low in the sense that our priorities are actually are not very well defined. We generally throw a bunch of spaghetti at the applicants and see what sticks to the ones we judge competent. :-)
Steve
Thank Steve, what is the best link for 2021 GSoC?
I can't quite find it. https://wiki.list.org/DEV/Home?action=fullsearch&context=180&value=summer+of+code&titlesearch=Titles
My NGO, E-Democracy.org has lots of experience with crossing that web forum/email divide. Now that Zope-based GroupServer.org is coming to end of it's useful life (we don't own it but did fund features), we'd love an opportunity to share what we've learned and some ideas.
(We used Mailman in the Pipermail-only era, and before that YahooGroups/eGroups and ListProc and even Majordomo when we launched in 1994. We also have experience with Google Groups and Listserv.)
To be honest, with competitive online groups seeking to reach everyday mass online users, the divide now is more a social media look and feel versus email divide with web forum expectations. My view is that email discussions, web forum topics, blog posts, social media posts are all essentially the same structure - an original topic post that generates replies/comments ... and that there is nothing wrong with presenting that information based on user expectations with options to change the view style to their comfort.
I've stuck with email centric options at the core because they grab attention and create group bonds that destination social media groups/web forums don't when the frame is geographic common interest instead of pre-existing special/niche interest. But we've experienced a huge generational decline in under 40 members with app expectations (NextDoor) and Facebook Groups post look and feel expectations.
We care about independent local community spaces online and it's worth having an alternative!
Please guide us on how to be most useful in sharing some specific ideas into the Summer of Code.
Thanks, Steve
On Thu, Feb 18, 2021 at 12:31 AM Stephen J. Turnbull < turnbull.stephen.fw@u.tsukuba.ac.jp> wrote:
Mark Sapiro writes:
The list is at <https://gitlab.com/mailman/hyperkitty/-/issues>, but it isn't prioritized. If what you want isn't there, you can file additional issues.
After 2/19 19:00 UTC you can also look at the Mailman Wiki for the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2021 ideas list. This is biased in two ways, first, not all good ideas are of the right scope and content for GSoC, and second it will be based on what I personally think is appropriate.
You (and enybody else) are welcome to suggest new ideas based on your needs. The bar is low in the sense that our priorities are actually are not very well defined. We generally throw a bunch of spaghetti at the applicants and see what sticks to the ones we judge competent. :-)
Steve
Mailman-Users mailing list -- mailman-users@python.org To unsubscribe send an email to mailman-users-leave@python.org https://mail.python.org/mailman3/lists/mailman-users.python.org/ Mailman FAQ: http://wiki.list.org/x/AgA3 Security Policy: http://wiki.list.org/x/QIA9 Searchable Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/mailman-users@python.org/ https://mail.python.org/archives/list/mailman-users@python.org/
Steven Clift writes:
Thank Steve, what is the best link for 2021 GSoC?
I can't quite find it. https://wiki.list.org/DEV/Home?action=fullsearch&context=180&value=summer+of+code&titlesearch=Titles
It probably didn't exist then.
https://wiki.list.org/DEV/Google_Summer_of_Code_2021
should work now.
Steve
On Fri, Feb 19, 2021 at 08:40:59AM -0600, Steven Clift wrote:
[..] there is nothing wrong with presenting that information based on user expectations with options to change the view style to their comfort.
Maybe recommend that people using your mailing lists use threading-aware, plain text capable mail clients like Thunderbird (desktop) or K-9 Mail (mobile)?
One helpful thing you might be able to do for users unused to email is to give them direct links to constantly-updated mbox archives of the relevant mailing lists, and instructions for importing those into their email client to gain local, searchable access to the archives (much as would be the case upon joining a forum, with the additional benefit of not needing to be online to perform the searches).
I've stuck with email centric options at the core because they grab attention and create group bonds that destination social media groups/web forums don't when the frame is geographic common interest instead of pre-existing special/niche interest. But we've experienced a huge generational decline in under 40 members with app expectations (NextDoor) and Facebook Groups post look and feel expectations.
We care about independent local community spaces online and it's worth having an alternative!
Can I just say thank you for:
trying to slow or reverse the takeover of independent discussion venues by surveillance-industrial-complex social media and advertising companies;
trying to find ways to keep email and mailing lists accessible and meaningful to people who have a very small grasp - and perhaps, initially at least, an even smaller interest in - the underlying technologies (and the ideals of universal interoperable, accessible standards that those technologies represent).
On a few occasions, I have tried to get organisations to use Mailman instead of proprietary abominations like Slack or MS Teams. It was not easy; and in some cases I was not successful.
I wish you the best possible fortune in your endeavours.
Sam
-- A: When it messes up the order in which people normally read text. Q: When is top-posting a bad thing?
() ASCII ribbon campaign. Please avoid HTML emails & proprietary /\ file formats. (Why? See e.g. https://v.gd/jrmGbS ). Thank you.
Sam Kuper writes:
On a few occasions, I have tried to get organisations to use Mailman instead of proprietary abominations like Slack or MS Teams. It was not easy; and in some cases I was not successful.
Let me second the appreciation for the work!
I dunno about Slack, the last time I used that was about 2016 (and it sucked then, although the GSoC kiddies had a field day), but Mailman is not a replacement for Teams for me, and surely won't be in my lifetime, sad to say. I'm afraid commercial grope-ware is here to stay.
Steve
participants (4)
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Mark Sapiro
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Sam Kuper
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Stephen J. Turnbull
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Steven Clift