CURRENT_MEETING_REPORT_

Reported by David Lippke/UTEXAS

LISTBOF Minutes

The Automated Internet Mailing List Services BOF was held Monday night,
before the regular Working Group meetings on Wednesday and Thursday
mornings.  The purpose in holding the BOF was simply to gather
interested folks in order to conduct a rather open and free-wheeling
discussion about the list server problem and the Working Group's Agenda.

A rather wide-ranging discussion did ensue.  Topics ranged from ``How is
this any different than netnews?'', through the enumeration of specific
features that the ``phase 2'' list server world should offer, and on to
the presentation of interconnection models and the cures for certain
problems that will arise in the ``phase 2'' work.

In spite of the meeting's unstructured format, the group reached three
conclusions:


  1. Simple statement of why the Working Group exists:  Dealing with
     Internet mailing lists is a pain for everyone involved -- users,
     list owners, and postmasters alike.  Internet mailing lists lack
     fundamental features such as access control and standardized
     archive maintenance.  In short, the Internet mailing list world is
     a very primitive one...  one which is in serious need of
     improvement.

  2. Netnews groups and list server lists are closely related methods of
     group communication.  While each has its own area of most
     appropriate application, their services are more alike than
     different and, in particular, they are nearly identical (in
     principle) at the user level.  Consequently, eventual integration
     of their services is expected --- at least at the user interface
     level if not also in the very provisioning of the services
     themselves.

  3. Implementation point:  If the phase 2 world seems to require a new
     (transport-level) protocol definition, the burden of proof (that
     the protocol is actually necessary) rests with the Working Group.


Attendees

Thomas Brisco            brisco@rutgers.edu
James Conklin            conklin@bitnic.educom.edu
John Curran              jcurran@bbn.com
Johnny Eriksson          bygg@sunet.se
Erik Fair                fair@apple.com
Jill Foster              jill.foster@newcastle.ac.uk
Maria Gallagher          maria@nsipo.arc.nasa.gov

                                   1





Russ Hobby               rdhobby@ucdavis.edu
Neil Katin               katin@eng.sun.com
Vincent Lau              vincent.lau@eng.sun.com
Eliot Lear               lear@turbo.bio.net
Louis Leon               osll@emuvm1.cc.emory.edu
David Lippke             lippke@utdallas.edu
Daniel Long              long@nic.near.net
Joseph Malcolm           jmalcolm@sura.net
Keith Moore              moore@cs.utk.edu
Chris Myers              chris@wugate.wustl.edu
Mel Pleasant             pleasant@hardees.rutgers.edu
Harri Salminen           hks@funet.fi
Theodore Tso
Gregory Vaudreuil        gvaudre@nri.reston.va.us



                                   2