[Python-Dev] windows installer and python list mention

[Tim Golden]

On 10/04/2017 21:48, Steve Dower wrote:
> I wasn't aware of [the need to subscribe to Python list] - I'm sure
> I've emailed the list before without it being rejected, and I'm
> certainly not subscribed. Is it a recent change? Is it necessary?

As long as I've been involved, the list has been subscription-only with 
the first post moderated even after subscription (to prevent 
bot-subscription). But in fact we'd typically waved through any 
unsubscribed posts which were clearly genuine / on-topic etc.

We changed the policy a year ago. In fact the discussion kicked off 
between the list moderators on 11th April 2016, exactly a year ago.
The reasoning was that we were seeing people who had posted without 
being subscribed and who were not seeing replies because, by and large, 
people reply to the list and not to the OP.

We felt that we were doing a disservice to people unfamiliar with the 
mailing list mechanism since they might not realise that people were 
replying to their question but via the list, to which they were not 
subscribed. Clearly other decisions are possible; but that's what we've 
stuck to since.

(Pragmatically, we do in fact pass through certain posts which we 
recognise as long-time posters perhaps coming in from an unfamiliar 
account, say posting from their phone etc.)

TJG