Re: [GENERAL] Fwd: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au

2010-11-21 Thread Tom Lane
Elliot Chance  writes:
> On 21/11/2010, at 2:41 AM, Tom Lane wrote:
>> Elliot Chance  writes:
>>> Then I can create a catch-all so that when an email is sent to 
>>> forums-chan...@postgresql.com.au it finds the user "chancey" gets the real 
>>> address and sends it on. If there were a way we could register a range for 
>>> mj2 like accept all emails from forum...@posgresql.com.au then I think that 
>>> solution would work well.

>> So any spammer that knows that can blast the lists at will?

> No, because their spam email would have to go through the mailing list before 
> it reaches the forum and the mailing list would simply reject it if they were 
> not subscribed.

Uh, how you figure that, if the mailing list has been hacked so that it
will accept mail from a large range of names that aren't in fact
subscribed?

regards, tom lane

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Re: [GENERAL] Fwd: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au

2010-11-20 Thread Elliot Chance

On 21/11/2010, at 2:41 AM, Tom Lane wrote:

> Elliot Chance  writes:
>> Then I can create a catch-all so that when an email is sent to 
>> forums-chan...@postgresql.com.au it finds the user "chancey" gets the real 
>> address and sends it on. If there were a way we could register a range for 
>> mj2 like accept all emails from forum...@posgresql.com.au then I think that 
>> solution would work well.
> 
> So any spammer that knows that can blast the lists at will?
> 
>   regards, tom lane


No, because their spam email would have to go through the mailing list before 
it reaches the forum and the mailing list would simply reject it if they were 
not subscribed.

They can't send emails to the forum directly because there is are secret email 
addresses that are never given out or shown.
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Re: [GENERAL] Fwd: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au

2010-11-20 Thread Tom Lane
Elliot Chance  writes:
> Then I can create a catch-all so that when an email is sent to 
> forums-chan...@postgresql.com.au it finds the user "chancey" gets the real 
> address and sends it on. If there were a way we could register a range for 
> mj2 like accept all emails from forum...@posgresql.com.au then I think that 
> solution would work well.

So any spammer that knows that can blast the lists at will?

regards, tom lane

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[GENERAL] Fwd: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au

2010-11-20 Thread Elliot Chance


Begin forwarded message:

> From: Magnus Hagander 
> Date: 20 November 2010 3:58:41 AM AEDT
> To: Alvaro Herrera 
> Cc: Dave Page , Elliot Chance , 
> pgsql-www 
> Subject: Re: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au
> 
> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 16:14, Alvaro Herrera
>  wrote:
>> Excerpts from Dave Page's message of vie nov 19 11:43:34 -0300 2010:
>>> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Elliot Chance  
>>> wrote:
 However if I had signed up to the forum (and not the mailing list) my From 
 would have to be subscribed for the mailing list to accept it like:
 Elliot Chance 
 John Smith 
 ... etc.
 
 OK, so after a brief background I'd like to organise a solution. Without 
 any other feasible option would this generic address system be allowed?
>>> 
>>> I wouldn't be happy with that as it prevents private replies to the
>>> author and would make it easy to send what was intended as a private
>>> reply to the public forums by mistake.
>> 
>> Isn't that a secondary use case, though?  It would be easy to solve this
>> by providing a URL to the post in the forum that you can click; assuming
>> the forum interface gives you the option to reply privately.
> 
> That would pretty much make it impossible to use offline.
> 
> That would be annoying, but I guess survivable. But how would that
> work for a user that hasn't signed up for the forum? How does it
> verify the sender?
> 
> 
> -- 
>  Magnus Hagander
>  Me: http://www.hagander.net/
>  Work: http://www.redpill-linpro.com/



[GENERAL] Fwd: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au

2010-11-20 Thread Elliot Chance
On 20/11/2010, at 4:04 AM, Alvaro Herrera wrote:

> Excerpts from Dave Page's message of vie nov 19 12:22:09 -0300 2010:
>> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 3:14 PM, Alvaro Herrera
>>  wrote:
> 
>>> I wonder if the mailing list would alow posting from an address like
>>> forums+1...@postgresql.com.au if only for...@postgresql.com.au is
>>> subscribed.  The number or string after the + would presumably be the
>>> user ID in the forum or some unique identifier.  (Extra points if the
>>> mailing software at that domain forwards email to the user when sent to
>>> that address (or maybe a PM in the forum system) -- this would solve
>>> Dave's concern.)
>> 
>> That would solve it, yes. I don't think mj2 will allow that though -
>> we've been looking for something similar for sysadmin use.
> 
> So let's patch Mj2.

If we use a pattern like the persons unique username:
Elliot Chance 
John Smith 

Then I can create a catch-all so that when an email is sent to 
forums-chan...@postgresql.com.au it finds the user "chancey" gets the real 
address and sends it on. If there were a way we could register a range for mj2 
like accept all emails from forum...@posgresql.com.au then I think that 
solution would work well.

> 
> -- 
> Álvaro Herrera 
> The PostgreSQL Company - Command Prompt, Inc.
> PostgreSQL Replication, Consulting, Custom Development, 24x7 support




[GENERAL] Fwd: [pgsql-www] Forums at postgresql.com.au

2010-11-20 Thread Elliot Chance

On 20/11/2010, at 9:52 PM, Magnus Hagander wrote:

> On Sat, Nov 20, 2010 at 02:57, Elliot Chance  wrote:
>> 
>> On 20/11/2010, at 3:58 AM, Magnus Hagander wrote:
>> 
>> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 16:14, Alvaro Herrera
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Excerpts from Dave Page's message of vie nov 19 11:43:34 -0300 2010:
>> 
>> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Elliot Chance 
>> wrote:
>> 
>> However if I had signed up to the forum (and not the mailing list) my From
>> would have to be subscribed for the mailing list to accept it like:
>> 
>> Elliot Chance 
>> 
>> John Smith 
>> 
>> ... etc.
>> 
>> OK, so after a brief background I'd like to organise a solution. Without any
>> other feasible option would this generic address system be allowed?
>> 
>> I wouldn't be happy with that as it prevents private replies to the
>> 
>> author and would make it easy to send what was intended as a private
>> 
>> reply to the public forums by mistake.
>> 
>> Isn't that a secondary use case, though?  It would be easy to solve this
>> 
>> by providing a URL to the post in the forum that you can click; assuming
>> 
>> the forum interface gives you the option to reply privately.
>> 
>> That would pretty much make it impossible to use offline.
>> 
>> That would be annoying, but I guess survivable. But how would that
>> work for a user that hasn't signed up for the forum? How does it
>> verify the sender?
>> 
>> The forum uses the same confirmation as the mailing list where an email is
>> sent to the address and they have to click on a link to activate their
>> account - this very standard practice on forum software.
> 
> Oh, I assumed that - you're missing my point.
> 
> The point is this:
> Assume John Doe posts something to the list. I am reading this, and
> want to use "alvaros suggestion" for doing a direct response. So I
> click the link that was in the email. *I* am not registrered in the
> forums. How do I respond to his post in a safe way?

You are registered in the forum already (it does this automatically), you 
simply reply on the mailing list as you have always done. If you feel the 
sudden urge to only reply via the forum then simply use the recover password to 
login and reply from there.

> 
> 
>> I did have a look
>> at https://github.com/mhagander/hamn/blob/master/listsync.py and I an do the
>> submitting the part quite easily myself but how does that activate the user
>> without an email being sent to them?
> 
> Yeah, that's the part that needs to be added to it. But I don't see
> any reason that shouldn't be fairly simple - you probably just need to
> include a set nomail command as well.

Using nomail still requires you to confirm your email address (I know because 
i've tried it.) If there were a magic value you could pass then it would defeat 
the purpose of having email confirmations and people would just write scripts 
to cheat it - like I want to do.

> 
> 
>> When you say offline I assume you mean replying to one or more threads while
>> not connected to the internet, then releasing your outbox when you get back
>> to an internet connection?
> 
> Yes. For example, when on a plane or somewhere where the cell coverage is bad.

Like I explained this is no problem. After all you still get the same problems 
with a pure mailing list. For example if someone posted the question "How do I 
insert records?" and your on a plane typing "Use INSERT ." but before your 
plane lands someone else has already responded to the person. Your email will 
still be sent so that the person gets two answers. Just like the persons email 
program will rank the answers by timestamp so will posts to the forum.

> 
> 
>> That's fine because all the posts are back dated
>> to sync with the email send time, so your replies will still appear after a
>> given post even if there has been more replies since then.
> 
> I think you're again missing that this was a comment to Alvaros
> suggestion, which was the "have a link at the bottom of the email
> going back to the forums".
> 
> And you're also missing the fact that I'm talking about doing a
> private response to the person who posted it, not a general
> to-the-list response.

Forums and mailing lists have the same functionality they just do the same 
things different ways. If you want to use the mailing list you have to use it 
like a mailing list, if you want to use the forum then you have to use it like 
a forum.

If John Doe signs up to the forum he is expecting the forum to work like a 
forum. When his answer is posted to the forum thread he will be notified. If in 
rare cases someone needs to send him a private message or email they can still 
do so through those features provided inside the forum software.

> 
> 
> -- 
> Magnus Hagander
> Me: http://www.hagander.net/
> Work: http://www.redpill-linpro.com/



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