Peti's Amiga ListSERV --- written by Peter Simons
Release 2.x ()

Copyright:
**********

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
Version 2, June 1991

     Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
                              675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

     Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
     of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

Preamble
========

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION
===============================================================

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NO WARRANTY
===========

BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

What is it?
***********

ListSERV is a software package to handle and maintain mailing lists, based on the well-known UNIX LISTSERV tool. With this daemon, users can easily subscribe or unsubscribe mailing lists, requests the frequently asked questions (FAQ) or list all mailing lists available on the machine.

Installation:
*************

To install the package on your machine, simply follow these steps:

  - Copy the NetSupport.Library into your LIBS:.

  - Create a directory to hold the list server software and the required config files. Assign ListSERV: to this directory.

  - Create the following subdirectories in ListSERV:: s/, c/ and groups.

  - Copy the the scripts DoNewMailingList, MailListFiler and SendMailList, found in this archive into the ListSERV:s/ directory and set the ``s'' bits on all files using ``protect ListSERV:s/#? +s''.

  - Copy the binaries ListSERV, ListMail and Cat found this archive into the ListSERV:c/ directory.

  - Copy the textfile Help found in this archive to ListSERV:.

  - Generate an local alias ``listserv'', piping the incoming mail to the listserv binary:

          listserv:: "|ListSERV:c/ListSERV"

     and another alias redirecting incoming mails to the account of the ListSERV manager:

          listserv-manager:: postmaster

  - Customize the ``DoNewMailingList'' script to fit into your system: It calls an editor, per default DME, to let your edit some textfiles. Change this to your favourite text editor. Additionally, it assumes your alias-file as UULIB:Aliases and your mailfolder-directory as UUMAIL:.

     The other script do not contain any system-dependand paths or programs, so there should be no need to modify them.

  - Customize the Help file.

A simple test:
**************

Okay, now lets make a quick test if anything works correctly. Call ``DoNewMailingList <listname>'', where listname should be ``test'' or something similar, what will generate this mailing list automatically.

After a few moments, the editor will pop up to let you edit a file called Lists. This is the address book of all subscribers for this list. The file may contain only one address per line. Do not add any comments or realnames, behind the addresses, just the plain address. For testing purposes, add your own address and maybe a few dummy users:

     simons@peti.GUN
     foobar@peti.GUN
     listtest@peti.GUN

Now save the file and leave the editor. Then the editor will let you edit a file called Description. Please enter the description of the mailing list here--it's purpose and subject:

             This is a neat mailing list for testing purposes. Only dummys
     subscribed so you might reconsider, adding yourself on the list,
     because I doubt that anything of big interest will happen.

Save again and quit every time the editor pops up again and you're done. Now load your alias file into your editor and you'll notice that three new aliases have been appended:

     TestList:: "|ListSERV:s/SendMailingList TestList"
     TestList-error:: listserv-manager
     TestList-admin:: listserv-manager
     TestList-request:: "|ListSERV:s/ListSERV TestList"

The address of your mailing list is <TestList@your.site> now, for my machine peti.GUN.de, this would be: <TestList@peti.GUN.de>. This is the address anyone can send e-mail to, and the incoming e-mail will be processed and mailed back to subscribers, found in the file ListSERV:groups/TestList/List. This should be working already, so author a friendly e-mail, send it to the above address and you'll find the mail in the folder your specified in the List-file. Please take note, that the reply-to: points to the list again, so a simple reply would be directed to the whole list again. Netherless, the from: line still shows the name of the original sender, so you can easily see, who sent this mail to the list.

ATTENTION: Anyone can send e-mail to this address, you do not need to be subscribed to post to the list. However, you won't receive any mail from others.

The addresses: <TestList-error@your.site> and <TestList-admin@your.site> are redirected to the mailing list manager, so people who do not know you personally, can contact you if they have any problems or questions. Feel free to change this entry in the alias file. Of course, the administrator of the ``basketball-news'' list can be a different person than the ``gnu-bug-reports'' administrator.

Any incoming mail for the list is logged in a file ListSERV:groups/<listname>/Log, so you can archive all postings or look some older mails up.

Now, lets test the actual ListSERV. Send an e-mail like this to the server:

     To: listserv
     Subject:

     HELP

This mail is now piped to the ListSERV binary, which parses the message body and performs the actual commands. For this quick test, you should receive the help file ListSERV:Help in your mail folder. If the file cannot be accessed for certain reasons, you'll receive an error-mail and a copy will be sent to the ``listserv-manager'' to draw the attention to the malfunction.

Okay, hopefully everything worked fine. If you experience any problems, you should check the script files for any system-dependant directories or program names, that aren't available on your machine and take a look at the ``system requirements'' chapter. If you really can't figure the problem out, you may post your question in alt.sys.amiga.uucp or de.comp.sys.amiga.uucp where you'll find help very likely.

ListSERV's internal working:
****************************

Due to the listserv-alias, the daemon receives the requests via standard input. ListSERV reads the mail and tries to determine the sender, using the from-line. If the mail contains several from-lines, ListSERV will use the last one, what should make it work with forwarded mail.

Mails from users named ``listserv'' or ``-daemon'' are not processed to avoid mail loops. Also it is not possible to add the mailing list address to itself. Then each line of the message body is scanned for server commands. If the mail contains no valid command or more than five junk-lines, the help file is returned to the sender.

Server Commands:
================

A command must start at the first column of the line in the message. Lines which do not start with a command word result in this file to be sent. If no commands were found in the entire message, that message is completely ignored. A single message may contain multiple commands; some commands may result in a separate reply (namely FAQ, HELP). You will always receive a response if any command was found.

HELP
     ListSERV will send the file ListSERV:Help back. This file is also sent, when no valid command was found in a mail. The TexInfo source of the helpfile is included in this distribution.

HELP listname
     Sends ListSERV:groups/<listname>/Description to the sender.

LIST [address]
     Scans all ListSERV:groups/*/List files for the from address and returns the names of the lists where the address was found. If the address parameter is omitted, the from-address will be used instead.

INDEX
     Send the names of all directories back, that exist in ListSERV:groups/.

LONGINDEX
     Send the names of all directories back, that exist in ListSERV:groups/, but adds the appropiate ListSERV:groups/<listname>/Description file if available.

ADD [address] listname
     ListSERV will check the ListSERV:groups/<listname>/List file wether the specified address is already subscribed. If not, the address will be added and the ListSERV:groups/<listname>/Introduction file is sent back to the sender. If the address parameter is omitted, the from-address will be used instead. Notification will be sent to the list administrator.

DELETE [address] listname
     ListSERV will check the ListSERV:groups/<listname>/List file wether the specified address is subscribed and in case it is, it will remive it, sending notification to the list administrator. If the address parameter is omitted, the from-address will be used instead.

DELETE-ALL [address]
UNSUBSCRIBE-ALL [address]
     Scans through all available ListSERV:groups/*/List files and looks for the specified address, removing it from the file is found. If the address parameter is omitted, the from-address will be used instead. Notification will be sent to the listserv manager.

FAQ listname
     Sends the ListSERV:groups/<listname>/FAQ file back to the. When no list is specified, ListSERV scans all list-directories and returns the names of the list that have a FAQ.

Posting to the list:
====================

The actual mailing list is handled by the ListMail programs and the SendMailingList ARexx script. The script appends the incoming mail to the archivefile, adds an eventually available signature and calls ListMail, which sends the mail back to all addresses listed in the appropiate file.

The original from line is preserved, while the reply-to line points back to the list, so the receipient can simply reply to the mail.

File structure:
===============

ListSERV expects an assigned named ListSERV:--could you guess it? :-) In this directory a subdirectory named groups must exists, which holds another subdirectory for each mailing list, with the same name as the list. This diretory may conatin these files:

List
     This file contains the addresses of all subscribers, one per line. Just the addresses are allowed, no realnames or sophisticated formats like "name <address>", etc... This file is required.

Description
     This file has to exists. It contains a short text describing the subject of the mailing list.

FAQ
     This optional file contains the frequently asked questions of the mailing list. This file can be requested with the FAQ command.

Introduction
     This file is optional and may contain a short welcome text, which is sent to any new subscriber to the list. You should also mention the address of the list-administrator or give some hints, etc...

Signature
     This file is appended to any mail sent to the list, if available. Here you can specify the usual signature contents, like postmaster address and similar things. The file should start with a few empty lines.

Log
     This file is created by the software. This is an archive of all messages that went though the list. You may read/edit this file using an ordinary texteditor or using your mailreader.

Security:
=========

Please note that it IS possible to add or delete someone else's subscription to a mailing list. This facility is provided so that subscribers may alter their own subscriptions from a new or different computer account. There is therefore some potential for abuse; I have chosen to limit this by mailing a confirmation notification of any addition or deletion to the address added or deleted including a copy of the message which requested the operation. At least you can find out who's doing it to you.

Additionally, it is nearly impossible to recognize/avoid this kind of abuse, because anyone can simply change his mailheader with an ordinary texteditor.

If you want to change the program:
**********************************

First of all: You're welcome to add features to ListSERV, port it to other platforms and do whatever you consider useful, but you MUST redistribute the source, or at least the diffs, with the program or make it available for those who are interested.

Additionally, I'd be very happy to see a copy of your version, so I can add these features into the master revision tree.

I'd recommend the usage of RCS to keep the different versions under control, at least that's what I am doing.

What ListSERV needs to work:
****************************

  - ListSERV requires Kickstart 2.04 or any later version.

  - ListSERV requires less than 5k stack. If the shell's default stack is too small, it allocates it's own stack using StackSwap().

  - ListSERV make extensive use of UUCP's sendmail and I experienced minor problems with older sendmail versions. I can recommend The following sendmail-alikes to be used with the list server:

          sendmail V1.16.20/w5 Dec 21 1993, 02:49:01  (This sendmail
          belongs to the wUUCP 0.0.19 distribution, available from Kai 'wusel'
          Siering.)
          SMail 2.0 Amiga Version (Nov 30 1993,23:46:30)  (The amiga
          version of SMail has been written by Ralf-Thomas Aussem and should be
          available on any major FTP/BMS site. I can really recommend this
          baby!)

     I didn't test it with DUUCP 1.16 original sendmail, but I guess it won't work flawless.

  - ListSERV uses Dillon UUCP 1.15's file-locking. NOT the OwnDevUnit.library!

  - A directory holding the temporary files, assigned as T:.

How to contact me:
******************

If you want to contact me (e-mail preferred), you may use the following addresses:

     SnailMail: Peter Simons         E-Mail: simons@peti.GUN.de (Usenet)
                Europaring 20
                53123 Bonn 1          Voice: +49 228 746061
                Germany

Acknowledgements:
*****************

Many thanks to the author of the original UNIX LISTSERV. Unfortunatly, my archive didn't include any manual or readme, so all I know is his nickname: ``andy''. I based my ListSERV on his code, which was very well!

Then, I'd like to thank Kai 'wusel' Siering for his version of Listserv, from which I was inspired. I basically used your scripts and your directory structure. Furthermore, thanks a lot for fixing the bugs in wUUCP's sendmail, which is working perfectly with ListSERV now.

Furthermore, I'd like to tell the world how much I admire Shaquille O'Neal, who is IMHO the greatest Basketball talent to come around for years! ``Shaq, if I couldn't watch your dunks several times a week, I were unable to program anything.'' :-)