1. Support for message threads - replies to messages are shown right below the original message.
Any decent mailer has that functionality.
2. Support for subject matter sub forums - different message categories can be established.
You just split the list into differents mailing lists and you're done.
3. Built in search engine - messages relevant to the problem you are working on can easily be located.
You can either use your mailer search functionality on your existing archives or google on the web archives.
4. Moderated forums - postings and discussions can easily be supervised. Trouble makers can be banned from posting.
I'm grown up enough to deal with trouble makers myself. I don't want some daddy to decide what's good for me and what's not. Thanks.
(besides, mailing lists can be moderated too so this point is moot. You *really* should learn more about mailman...)
I have been involved in supporting another Linux based product for more than a year now via a proper web based support BBS setup, and it is a far superior approach to the Asterisk mailing list dump that this memo will end up in.
If you use digests, then you will get all messages in a big lumpy file. Don't use them, that's all. Again, you clearly show that you don't know squat about mailing lists.
Take a good look at:
http://www.astaro.org
It's a typical table based, invalid HTML, unusable, inaccessible web forum. It's just so nineties... thanks for making my point. My mail user agent provides a better interface than this website. If you can't understand why, maybe you should learn more about email and mailing lists...
* I have an asterisk subfolder which I call "useful" where I move messages which I find useful. Does your web thingy do that?
* I can go away for two weeks and see quickly messages which are read and messages which aren't. Does your web thingy do that?
* I can manage multiple mailing list through a single, simple, consistent interface - without having to remember different usernames / passwords. Does your web thingy do that?
This is the support BBS for Astaro Security Linux, a hardened Linux firewall distribution that delivers around 80% of the features of CheckPoint Software's Firewall-1, but at 20% of the cost. And they give away free licenses for non-commercial home use. Their support BBS currently has more than 9000 registered users.
I use firehol. I have 100% of the firewall functionality I've got for zero cost. And they have a mailing list too :)
It would do Digium well to establish a similar BBS, since it would dramatically ease the support issues for the membership. Running a web based BBS forum is not particularly load intensive, even if it ends up having many thousands of registered users.
Well maybe a web forum thingy would be good for people who buy support from digium. But even in the case of paid support, I think email combined with "RT" (request tracker) makes a superior product.
Regards,
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