Whether or not it is a very common format for patches in
I for one, want to thank all the developers of Smartlist for all the hard work that goes into developing a software program. Your work does not go un-noticed and the end result changes the lives of thousands of people for eternity. Alan Northam www.daily-devotions.org (Daily devotions by email using Smarlist) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charlie Summers" <charlie@lofcom.com> To: "Stan Goodman" <stan@hashkedim.com>; "smartlist" <smartlist@Lists.RWTH-Aachen.DE> Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2001 9:38 AM Subject: Re: (Fwd) Re: Does SmartList support multiple 'maintainer=' lines? At 7:14 AM -0500 11/15/01, Stan Goodman is rumored to have typed: the Unix world, it
is shameful, nothing less, in 2001 for software which is intended for use by non-programmers to require this kind of "tighten this bolt, loosen that one" maintenance.
I'm sorry...who was it that ever suggested that SmartList was designed to be used by non-programmers? I don't remember reading anywhere any of the developers suggesting that. (I also don't remember them suggesting that it wasn't, either.)
There is no reason at all why Smartlist should not be controllable by an intuitive interface requiring no knowledge of Unix incantations.
I disagree. If you want something that doesn't require a little knowledge, something that does all of your thinking for you, there are _many_ commercial packages on the market available to you that require no particular knowledge to operate. If, on the other hand, you are interested in using an open-source package that costs you nothing but perhaps a little time spent in understanding unix and procmail, SmartList is a great choice in my opinion. But you can't have it both ways...either invest some money, or invest some time. To expect the developers to provide a commercial-level package, one designed for use by those who don't know how to use as simple a tool as patch or who do not have shell access to the machine, without financial renumeration is absurd. There's no _reason_ for SmartList to be controlled by a web-based interface, since there are commercial packages to do just that. The only people who insist on doing so are hosting companies who advertise, "Mailing List Software Included!" when including software they do not need to pay to license, and then refuse to support the add-on nonsense, shunting off their support costs to this mailing list. (Most of us, who actually installed SmartList, are then at a loss to help these poor souls, although even without using it I'm beginning to get a handle on how the installation is set up and works, including the existance of the ./bin and ./etc directories.) Bottom line: if you're using free software, you need to invest some time in the learning curve. Either do so, or buy something that doesn't require it. The developers continue work on SmartList because...heck, after reading postings like yours, I honestly don't know why they bother, I'm just thrilled that they do. They give away their time and labor receiving little back but frustration and annoyance, asking only that their users understand they need to make a small investment in time. You may have the last word on this issue, should you choose, since I will not waste the list's time further with the obvious. Charlie _______________________________________________ Smartlist mailing list Smartlist@lists.RWTH-Aachen.DE http://MailMan.RWTH-Aachen.DE/mailman/listinfo/smartlist