Automated Internet Mailing List Services (list)
































Charter































Status: Concluded October, 1992 































































Chair(s):































































 David Lippke 































































Description of Working Group:































This Working Group will concern itself with ``list servers'', i.e.,































advanced mail exploders/reflectors which provide services such as































automated subscription, archive maintenance, and coordination with































similar systems on the network.































































The Group will initially focus its activities towards establishing a































baseline user interface.  Although most current systems support a































command set patterned after Eric Thomas' BITNET LISTSERV, there is































wide variance in the options supported and in the general patterns of































interaction.  This results in a great deal of user confusion.  The































Working Group's interface definition will address this by establishing































a set of commands, options, interactions, and procedures which will































(hopefully) be supported by all list servers as a subset of their full































repertoire.































































As a part of the user interface work, the Group will also define an































authentication service for users' list server transactions.  Toward































this end, and to address the privacy issue, the Group will consult































with the Security Area Advisory Group (SAAG).































































The second phase of the Group's work will be to provide for the































interconnection and coordination of list servers.  Experience with the































BITNET LISTSERV has shown that it is important for users be able to































view the collection of list servers on the network as an integrated































whole.  Ideally, users should only have to deal with their local































mailing list service---which knows where all public lists are, what































they are, and is able to act on the user's behalf with respect to































them.  Interconnecting list servers allows this ``integrated user view''































to be created and also lets issues such as traffic minimization,































timely distribution, and load sharing to be more easily addressed.































Consequently, the Working Group will define the conceptual models,































communication methods, and extensions to prior work which are































necessary to bring this interconnection and coordination about.































































It is anticipated that further work on issues of authentication and































privacy will continue in parallel with the ``integration'' effort ---































perhaps manifesting itself as a separate RFC which extends the user































interface definition produced during the first phase.