Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 10:13:08 -0500 From: Ben Crowell <bsdportscrowell04@lightandmatter.com> To: ports@FreeBSD.org Subject: listing ports@FreeBSD.org as maintainer Message-ID: <20040623101308.A6294@lightandmatter.com>
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Some ports have ports@FreeBSD.org listed as the address of the maintainer.
For instance, the README.html for audio/audacity has this:
<p>If needed, you may contact the <a href=
"mailto:ports@FreeBSD.org">maintainer</a> of this port or the port <a href=
"mailto:ports@FreeBSD.org">mailing-list</a>.</p>
I'd like to suggest that if the maintainer of a port doesn't want to list his
own address, READMEs should just read like this:
<p>If needed, you may contact the port <a href=
"mailto:ports@FreeBSD.org">mailing-list</a>.</p>
The problem is that if all you read is the part where it says "maintainer,"
you can end up sending mail to the list, thinking that it's just going to be
a personal mail to the maintainer. This happened to me recently. Admittedly
you could say it's my own darn fault for not reading more carefully, but
I think most people change their reading habits when cruising through
web pages and computer documentation, and just look for the one piece of
information they need, since there's so much there.
I hope you'll all agree with me that having people post inadvertently to
a list is undesirable, for several reasons:
1. The netiquette is different when hundreds of people will read
what you're writing.
2. The user ends up posting to a list that he doesn't subscribe to. In my own
case, I didn't even know that the list existed. Even now, I'm posting to
this list blind, without knowing where it's archived or how to get
replies.
3. Many people, like me, go to great lengths to keep their private e-mail
addresses from being posted on the public web, so that they won't be
harvested by spambots. For the present e-mail, for example, I've
used a disposable address that I can block later if it becomes
spam-contaminated. Before I post to a mailing list, I normally
check carefully whether the addresses of posters are hidden (and I
also subscribe). AFAICT, the norm these days is not to allow just
anybody to post to a mailing list by sending an e-mail.
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