The mailing list for listmasters using Sympa

[Nick Holden <address@concealed>]

Hi all,

Is anyone else noticing problems with the use of "listname-subscribe"
and "listname-unsubscribe"?

Specifically, it appears that at least one major ISP (virgin, which took
over ntl in the UK last year) is now refusing to transport entirely
blank email messages. As a result blank email messages to
listname-subscribe or listname-unsubscribe do not get through to my
server from users on those networks (including me, which is how I
noticed it).

This means that the standard sympa way of someone joining or leaving a
list does not work for that group of users. I have advised list owners
to recommend putting a subject of "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" because
then things work fine - a message will be sent if it has either a
subject or content or both, but not if it has neither.

However, from a usability point of view, telling someone to email
listname-subscribe and then have to write "subscribe" again in the
subject is a bit odd. So I was wondering if this is becoming a
widespread problem, and if so, whether it might be possible to come up
with a widespread solution - perhaps by having a system address like
listname-robot to which messages either for 'subscribe' or
'unsubscribe'.

But first, have other list managers noticed the same problem?

Thanks

Nick