This is an update on the web-based archives. It is a decision
made by Karen and Brian who *are* RootsWeb. Without them we have
no list.
Since doing several searches on the web-based archives I have a
more positive outlook about them. To be able to call up every
message mentioning your surname that was ever posted on any list
is awesome.
I am inclined to go along with it now that I have seen how it
works. If any of you have serious objections we do have the
choice of not including the previous messages and starting fresh.
I am send part of the letter sent to the listowner's mailing
list. It explains the new plan and it seems this is the only
archive we would have as the old e-mail archive will be dropped.
Virginia
MESSAGE FROM KAREN: [I am editing it to remove data
that applies only to list owners]
Marc and Brian and I have talked (using that ancient technology,
the telephone), and here's the current scoop on message
archives for RootsWeb mailing lists. It won't all take
effect for a week or two, so to the extent you want to
survey the readers of your respectivemailing lists for
their opinions, you'll have time.
1. Once the new (web-based) system is on line, we will be turning
off the old (e-mail based) system of accessing archives.
Experience has shown that it is hard on the system (uses too
many CPU cycles on large lists),
and hard on the user (difficult to understand, tricky syntax)
and hard on the system administrators
snip----------snip
Once the new tools are in place, this old horse
is going to be put out to pasture. (I know that not
everyone has web access -- you might want to
have a few volunteers on each list who will
do lookups for those without web access.)
2. So, what's the new web-based system to be?
Evolving, for a start. In the initial phases, for
those lists that are participating, the most
recent messages will be available via the web
in a threaded format. (This is what Marc
has been working on.) The older messages
(including the old Maiser archives)
will be available via a clunky search engine
(like that used for ROOTS-L on
http://searches.rootsweb.com).
(I've been working on this, at least, until I
got diverted by all that stuff up there in the
first paragraph.) We hope to do two
additional things: find a new search
engine that will index both the threaded
and unthreaded message bases, and as
time allows, convert the unthreaded
message bases to threaded. There are
some open issues here that we
haven't worked through yet, so it will
be awhile, but that's the target.
3. What about passwords? These have proven much more
controversial than I ever expected. I do understand
(shoot, I pushed for them) why they are useful and solve
a lot of problems. The difficulty is that they seem to
introduce at least as many problems as they solve.
Some of which hit closer to home than I like.
snip-----snip
Anything that requires more work from the system
administration people is almost guaranteed to be
a non-starter, and passwords unfortunately fit
that criteria. Besides having to deal with people
who can't remember passwords or who type
them in the wrong case, etc., there's also the
problem that to change a password will
require manual intervention (we
haven't developed the software yet so
the listowner could do so automatically),
and a password that is stable and never changed
isn't much security.
If your archived messages need to be secure, a
simple password won't be enough to secure
them. If your archive messages don't need to
be secure, then there's no need for a password.
Bottomline:passwords make more work, but
add little additional security. So, no passwords,
at least not for now, probably never.
4. Can you edit the archives? No, at least, not now. The tools
to let you do so aren't available, and the time for someone (me)
to do it for you is in too short of supply. Except for cases
of egregious copyright violation, death threats, etc, I won't be
available to edit your archives for you. I know this means there
will be some cruft, subscribe/unsubscribe commands, reposted
digests, spam, etc. For most lists, even with the cruft, the
signal to noise ratio will still be quite high.
5. Does your list have to participate? No. If you don't want
your list included, go to the utility page for your mailing list,
follow the button at the bottom labelled "edit selected files"
and add
to your reject list the address
"archiver(a)lists.rootsweb.com".
list for your mailing list. snip-----snip Note
that, if your list doesn't participate in the web-based
archives, there will be no access to your archives
unless you make alternative arrangements
(for instance, through your ISP) to provide such.
If you decide you do want to set up your own message
archive elsewhere, we will zip up your old archives here
(including the old messages from Maiser, if any)
and put them somewhere so you can FTP them. Not
all lists want archives (hi, Wally!): if that describes your
list,
just opt out of the web-based archives, and voila!, you're set.
6. What if you have a hothead who doesn't want his/her messages
included? You have some options.
a) You can simply not participate.
b) You can tell him/her tough, and go ahead and participate.
c)You can ask that we not include your material from before the
cutover (see below), and tell your hothead that anything
he/she posts after the cutover will be included
Target date for the cutover: 1 December 1997. That should
provide time for you to touch base with your listmembers
(if you so desire), and for us to further shakedown the
scripts that will be used to make all this happen.
Marc's beta-test will probably be back online
before then.
Karen
Virginia Ewing-- vewing(a)ktc.com
list maintainer for Ashley, Cavin, Gober, Perry, Murray
RootsWeb Sponsor