proposals for the list

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@GREBYN.COM>]

Everybody's ideas for how the list could gbe improved are fine, but we don't
have all that much we can do.  We have exactly one list, for which we don't
pay anything for its support.  Jerry Altzman set it up for us when we got
too big for Eric Raymond's machine using the Columbia University listserver.

On that listserver, Cowan and I (lojbab) are users just like the rest of you.
We just have access to the "owner commands" which let us (sometimes) add and
delete people.  Even that has its limits; just like all of you, when your
path to columbia.edu changes and you lose access to the list, so do we; thus Co
Cowan has not been able to maintain the list for a few weeks while we try to
get the owner name set to the new path.

We have no capability to change the software that runs the list. It replies
to who it says it replies to.  At least one person unsubscribed because he
didn;t want the list to have his address in the "To: line - nothing we can
do about that either.

We cannot split the list, even if we wanted to; tat would take setting up
a totally new list with a totally new address,possibly on a different server.
Someone might volunteer one, but what stuff will get posted on this list?
If yuou want the rare but occassional importnat Lojban news, subscribe to
le lojbo karni.  It will be very occasional, of course.  If you are not
interested in text in the language, and you are not interested in the
technical discussions, you would need to give me some idea of what you ARE
interested in, other than knowing when we publish the books (for which
you don't need to subscribe to anything - just make sure that we have a current
address).

Though usage of the system has been spotty, Veijo proposed almost ayear ago
that we solve this problem by use of some standard codes in headers.  I
don;t have that list handy, perhaps someone else does.  If people don;t
want to read all the trafffic, then they can just scan the headers for the
keywords, as long as people use the code words.

Though I seldome remember those code words, you can be sure that anything
out of "Lojban Central" that is important will be strongly labelled, generally
with the word "Important" in the subject.  That should handle the minimalists
who want something other than an lk subscription.  I don't know what to do for
 everyone else.

In any event, neither Cowan nor I have time to do any more complex management
of multiple mailing lists.  One is enough of a pain, and we didn;t want the
job in the first place, but got stuck with it when Eric R. no longer had time.
Lojban List is a forum for the community; it is NOT an official LLG vehicle.
We supprt it because you are part of the community (albeit less than 10%, you
are the most active part by virtue of the on-line access).  I think it is
great that Lojban List exists, but don't ask me to do any more work if you
want the books this century, please!

Overtired from a long day with the kids,
lojbab