[ovs-discuss] options for OVN mailing lists, with a survey

[Mark Michelson]

On 6/10/20 1:01 PM, Ben Pfaff wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> TL;DR: please answer the simple question at the end of the email.
> 
> Since Open vSwitch and OVN are now separate projects, it would be a good
> idea to separate their mailing lists as well.  This is easier said than
> done for at least two reasons:
> 
>          * Mailing lists are troublesome to manage these days.  There are
>            few service providers that are willing to do the job.  Even
>            Linux Foundation just subcontracts them.  The current OVS
>            lists are grandparented in but LF is not willing to add more
>            lists under the same terms.
> 
>          * OVN and Open vSwitch have given out email addresses to
>            individual contributors at ovn.org and Linux Foundation has
>            only given half-hearted assurances that they can do this.
> 
> We are now considering our options.  One factor is the different ways
> that a mailing list can be run.  There are three major categories:
> 
>          * "Open": anyone may post to the list regardless of whether they
>            subscribe (although spam gets dropped to some degree of
>            accuracy) and it will be delivered immediately.
> 
>            This is how ovs-dev is configured.  We have to configure it
>            that way because ovs-dev gets CCed from linux-kernel and
>            netdev on a regular basis and that community expects mailing
>            lists to be open and will yell at us if they are not.
> 
>          * "Moderated": anyone may post to the list, but if they are not
>            subscribed to it then it is diverted to a moderation queue.  A
>            moderator then glances at it to make sure it isn't spam, and
>            if it isn't, directs it to the list.  ALSO: the moderator
>            generally adds the sender email address to the list of allowed
>            sender addresses.  Thus, the FIRST email from a given sender
>            is delayed, but not subsequent ones.
> 
>            This is how the rest of the OVS mailing lists are configured.
>            Justin and I are the current moderators.  I probably spend
>            only a minute or two a day on it, it's easy work.
> 
>            I do not know of any commercial service providers that support
>            this configuration.
> 
>          - "Closed": only subscribers may post.  Others' emails are
>            rejected.  OVS doesn't configure lists this way.
> 
>            Commercial service providers, including LF's, do support this
>            configuration.
> 
> If it is acceptable for OVN mailing lists to be closed, then we could do
> something relatively easy:
> 
>          * Continue to manage ovn.org email addresses for individuals in
>            our current way, which works.
> 
>          * Create a new lists.ovn.org MX host and turn it over to LF's
>            service provider to implement closed OVN mailing lists.
> 
> Question: would it be acceptable for OVN mailing lists to be closed, so
> that emails from non-subscribers are rejected?  (See the definition of
> "closed" above.)

Add me to the group that is fine with a closed list, so long as we allow 
anyone to subscribe.

> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Ben.
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