[Fwd: MUD-Dev]

[coder at ibm.net]

On 07/04/98 at 12:38 AM, Richard Woolcock <KaVir at dial.pipex.com> said:

>Any ideas?



>From: Yaltec <Yaltec at aol.com>
>Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 19:18:35 EDT
>To: KaVir at dial.pipex.com
>Subject: MUD-Dev

>KaVir...

>I found an article you wrote on the MUD-Dev mailing list, and was very
>interested in it. Off-hand, do you have any idea how I can subscribe to
>that list? My AltaVista searches have drawn a blank so far...

>Sorry to bother you, but many thanks for your time.

Writing as list owner:

  First up:  How did he find said article or find reference to MUD-Dev? 
<sternly beetled brow>

  Second up: Who is this chap?  I don't have time to research him myself. 
Does he have a MUD history?  Active project?  What?  Known signal source? 
Is he worth inviting?  Make your own call on this one: invite or not as
you see fit, then pass me the results.

Note: The above may soon be largely moot.  

I have the web front-end to the new list about 70% done.  Given a
non-protected web site, there is no point in keeping the list secret --
lost cause.  I'm unconvinced that attempting to protect a web site
(passwords etc) is either worth the effort, or likely to be any less leaky
than the Titanic is now.  

Currently the web pages are written for the fact of the list and the list
archives to be public and publicly searchable, but for new subcribers to
be read-only (no posting) until manually promoted by yours truly.  This is
the best model I've come up with yet for maintaining the list's quality
without risking an r.g.m.* mess.  Suggestions for other possible models
are welcome.

Another possible model:

  Two lists.  One with free subscription, one closed (list owner must
approve all new members).  The closed list is the equivalent of this list. 
The open list is a subscriber to the closed list (ie all posts to the
closed list are also echoed on the open list).  High signal members are
actively recruited and promoted from the open list to the closed list as
they are found.  I'm not fond of this model as the fracting of the
membership will tend to cause the closed list to fade due to irrelevance
(after all, everything also happens on the open list).

Look for further announcements here as the future happens.  I'm hoping to
open the web site to the list within the week.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...