DeTomaso Mailing List: January 2001, Message #246

Just wanted to let everybody know that I've made a couple of changes
(improvements) to the list software.

You may have noticed times over the last few days when the list messages
stopped coming for hours at a time.  That was me stopping the software while
I tested the new code under controlled circumstances.

Most of the changes will be transparent to you, the list readers.  They're
mostly aimed at better handling the enormous number of bounced messages that
the mailing lists cause, and making life easier for the list
administrators.  :-) An indirect benefit to you is that the list
administrators will now have better tools (and info) at their disposal to
help you if you're having problems with the list.

The one change that you will surely notice is that I have improved the list
software's handling of MIME-encoded messages.  I've added a filter that will
accomplish several objectives:

1) No non-plaintext attachments are passed through in any form

	This means that images, executable binaries, VB scripts... anything
	that isn't just plain ole text gets scrubbed from messages as they
	pass through.  This will eliminate email-born viruses and worms,
	along with the sometimes sizeable attachments sent by misguided list
	members.

2) An end to AOL seeing-double syndrome

	Messages that are sent as mixed/alternate (Microsoft Outlook and
	AOL's mail client, for example, like to use this) with both text and
	HTML will be reduced to just plain text.

3) And end to AOL-unable-to-subscribe, etc

	As in #2, when those folks send subscription, unsubscription, etc
	requests to the listserv address, their requests will no longer be
	lost in MIME hell.  The software will now be able to see their
	requests.

All of this MIME juggling will be documented in affected messages by little
included notes from ALF - the software doing the work.

There may be some minor teething problems, but I've tested this stuff pretty
heavily, so I'm hoping for a pretty smooth deployment...

If you're having problems that you think are related to the changes I've
made, let me (or, better yet, your list administrator) know.  We'll look
into it.

-Andy (list software geek)

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