It all started some five hours ago with my own hateful blogging software,
when the web interface (which is something I rarely use it's so loathsome,
but that's my own fault) didn't work. It took me the better part of three
and a half hours to track down the actual problem deep within Apache. It
seems that the ErrorDocument directives I have break the basic
Authentication directives I have. How, I don't know. All I know is that I
wasted the better part of three hours tracking down *that* little problem,
and thinking I found an actual bug in Apache (you don't say?) I thought I
would mention it to the us...@httpd.apache.org mailing list, despite the
knowledge that the first thing out of *their* mouths would be "upgrade to
2.0.61^H2^H3/2.2.6^H7^H8 and try your plea again."
Only when I sent my plea to the mailing list, only to get back:
> Hi. This is the qmail-send program at apache.org.
> I'm afraid I wasn't able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
> This is a permanent error; I've given up. Sorry it didn't work out.
>
> <us...@httpd.apache.org>:
> Sorry, only subscribers may post (#5.7.2)
That's odd. Then were do all these messages from us...@httpd.apache.org
that keep filling up my inbox come from? Obviously, I'm subscribed in
*some* fasion to the list. Did my email client (mutt) puke and set the
wrong from address? The us...@httpd.apache.org mailing list is sending it
to my "spc at conman.org" address, and yes, mutt sent it out as "spc at
conman.org", so what is in fact, the problem?
Maybe I'm half-unsubscribed?
Who knows?
Let me subscribe again.
Okay, there's the confirmation, let me reply to that.
*NOW* let me try sending in my plea.
Great, now I get *TWO* copies from us...@httpd.apache.org.
Did I just spam the list twice? I sent a reply to that, apologizing for
the double posting (maybe), when I get two replies from that. Okay, what
the @#...@!#!$ is going on ...
An hour later, and I have my answer, only I'm not exactly sure who to
blame for this incredible mess. Is it:
Me, for not noticing that I was subscribing to the list using not
"spc at conman.org" but in fact "spc at brevard.conman.org"?
Postfix, for setting a return path of "spc at brevard.conman.org"
even though I told it to use a "myorigin" of "mydomain" and not
"myhostname"?
Ezlml (what Apache apparently uses for their mailing lists) for
using the email address in the Return-Path: header and *NOT* the
address that appears in the From: header?
At this point, I'm pointing fingers and naming names at Ezlml. Why, oh,
why, oh, why, would you use the Return-Path: and *NOT* the From: header?
Grrrrrrrrrrrr ...
-spc (When did this stuff get so difficult to debug?)
