Mailing list policy

Okay, its the new year. Time for my first mailing list policy rant of the millennium. I expect it won't be the last. I'll try to dig up the old mailing list description document and post that again as well. Apologies in advance to everyone who are using the lists correctly: this mail is not directed at you. It is also not directed at anyone specific.

First rule: pick a descriptive subject for you posts. I have been saying this forever now, and I just don't understand why people don't get it. "GEMS 1.14.1.7" is not the title of a bug report. "New report" is not the title of an rcr. Every day someone calls me and asks if some bug is fixed or not. I open up my bugtrack folder and scan down the subject list looking for the bug, only to find subjects that bear no resemblance to the problem. This issue is persistent enough that I am seriously toying with the idea of sending posts with bogus subjects to the recycle bin. I hope we can solve this in a less dictatorial manner.

Second rule: follow up to the list. Use the "reply all" instead of the "reply" button on your mailer for responses. Just because I (or some other developer) responded to the initial post does not imply that I will be the person working on the bug or rcr. More important, the whole point of the lists is to allow everyone, not just one person, know what is going on. If you have a follow up, then let others in on your wisdom. This problem is complicated by the net etiquette rule that personal mail not be sent to a public list without permission. I often get very insightful private responses from people, but then can't follow up further on the public list. The conversation goes private, and everyone looses. Obviously some conversations are better left in private email, but bugtrack/support/rcr responses are usually not among them.

Third rule: participate. If you have an feature request or bug to report, then post to the lists. Its simple. I find it really unfair to everyone using the lists when some support or development request gets attention based on a phone call or private mail, just because that person feels they are somehow above the mailing list system. Why should anyone bother participating then? I just about left the lists myself last year over this one.