[lug] Searching Mailman Archives

[J. Wayde Allen]

On Mon, 15 Oct 2001, Rob Nagler wrote:

> Is it possible to denormalize the mailman authentication database?
> If so, you could set up .htaccess files or virtual host entries with
> basic auth entries.  Alternatively, you could keep the email address
> in the persistent cookie and force people to login once.  You'd need
> a simple front end to look up the address on each request.

Possible I suppose.  The mailman functions I believe are accessible as
python objects.  It may be possible to build a python cgi that would
handle the authentication via the mailman subscription database.  I've
thought of this, but am not sure I have the time and energy to pursue it.

> I recommend biting the bullet and creating a web-delivered app using bOP
> but them I'm more than a bit biased. :-)  We just added Postgres support,
> so it's all freeware and would allow you to grow the app as you'll
> inevitably do.  ("How about a files area, Wade?",  "What about checkins?",
> etc.)

Ideally I need a really cool way to setup a virtual project space.  This
needs to be something that in some ways is a bit more abstract than a
software development system with checkins, etc..  It needs to have some
way of allowing people to interact similar to e-mail, but we also need to
have a kind of web space where people can simply and easily share
documents, drawings, data, and programs.  A mailing list combined with a
web page is OK, but there is some discontinuity between the two media.  
This arrangement also tends to require someone to serve as the web master.  
Ideally this would be more dynamic.  Project members should ideally be able
to provide information themselves without having to go through the web
master (Zope?).

One problem of course is that the project members shouldn't necessarily
be required to use any specific brand of software or OS.  That implies
that we'd need some sort of interoperability standards - XML maybe?

Of course is something like this already exists I'd be very interested.

- Wayde
  (wallen at lug.boulder.co.us)