[Mailman-Users] password management

[stephen at xemacs.org]

Alain Williams writes:

 > * that mailman passwords are locked away in python pickles .. this
 > makes them difficult to access/maintain through scripts written in
 > other languages.

Not at all.  Just write a python script to get the passwords out, then
call that script.  Inefficient?  Of course---but if this facility is
being used more than once or twice a day for the whole box, you're
probably a customer for MemberAdapter or something like that.
(MemberAdapter is a technology to interface Mailman to mailing lists
kept in LDAP or SQL databases.  I don't know any more than the name
and that it requires substantial set up effort by the site admin, but
you can find it in the FAQ I believe.)

 > * if you are subscribed to several lists, then you have a different
 > password for each list, or you need to change each of them every
 > time that you change.

I think you're a candidate for MemberAdapter, although dealing with
helpdesk calls for the "more complex procedure" Brad describes might
be cheaper.

Specifically, IIRC MemberAdapter is cantankerous and being deprecated;
"something better" will be in later versions of Mailman.  OTOH, since
it's "something better" and you'll have the basic database side
already set up, you can hope it will be easy to migrate to the new
technology.  YMMV, of course.