Re: [tlug] Should we stop password protecting the TLUG archives?

[Josh Glover <jmglov@example.com>]

On 16/12/05, Zev Blut <zb@example.com> wrote:

> Issues to discuss:
>
> * Do we reopen the archives?

A resounding YES!

> * Do we attempt to protect our members email addresses?
> ** If so, how should we do this?

Yes. I like Edward Middleton's suggestion of displaying only the name,
or, in the case when a "real name" is not available, simply cut off
the @ sign and everything to the right of it. e.g. if I posted as
"<jmglov@example.com't-exist>", this would be displayed simply
as "jmglov" in the archives.

> * As search engines have become more powerful, almost anything we mail
> to the list will become available for an indefinite amount of time.
> Sometimes we may say things were in the heat of the moment that may
> come back to haunt us.
> ** Do we care about this?

No, we don't care. Technical mailing lists are, in general, archived,
and the archives are, in general, public. If you do not like this, do
not post to technical mailing lists. (Sorry to be so blunt, but "I
wish I hadn't said that!" is a fact of life, and my mama always told
me that one has to accept the consequences for one's own actions. ;)

In response to Edward Middleton's comment about it not being fair to
open the archives that were previously password-protected (i.e. from
February 2003 to whenever we re-open them), I think we might have to
allow people, on a per-request basis, to have their archived mails
pulled. However, I think this should be an all-or-nothing proposition.

Here's what I mean: if Foo Barstein asks for his previously
password-protected mails to be removed from the archives, *every* post
he made from Feb 2003 until the kaikoku[1] (har har) should be
removed. He should not be permitted to ask for the removal of just his
post of 05 March, 2004, 15:33 JST.

> ** Should we allow users to ask for removal/anonymization of their
> mails from the archives?

No. Too much trouble.

> ** Should we make it clear to new comers who are about to join the
> list about the archiving and what not?

Yes.

> * Should we keep the archives closed, but choose highlights from the
> archive to put on the web site?
> ** Should we do this anyway?  If so who is going to volunteer to
> organize this?

That is a great idea, but I don't have the time to do it. What we
might try instead is a TLUG Wiki, where any TLUG member could edit it.
If we used Mailman with passwords, maybe the Wiki's editing function
could authenticate against the Mailman password database. That way, we
would have accountability for edits.

Cheers,
Josh

[1] http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%96%8B%E5%9B%BD#.E6.97.A5.E6.9C.AC.E3.81.AE.E9.96.8B.E5.9B.BD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Ships