HOWTO request a mailing list
The scope of this document is to help people establish a mailing list at lists.debian.org.
All new mailing lists need to have these basic prerequisites:
- Basic purpose.
This means that the topic the new mailing list would cover is appropriate for discussion on a permanent mailing list on lists.debian.org.
Some discussions are better suited for simple mail aliases, and mailing lists for simple package maintenance don't need lists here. Needless to mention, vanity or offtopic lists will not be created. - Interested audience.
This means that requests for new mailing lists need to be based on a real need for a new, separate discussion forum, rather than on the whim of the requester. A modicum of audience is also necessary to avoid temporary or transient mailing list requests.
Once these two prerequisites have been obtained, a proper request
needs to be sent in as a wishlist
bug report against the
lists.debian.org
pseudo-package.
The following information is required in the bug report:
- Name
-
Please choose a descriptive, short and unique name.
Please note that every list name needs to be prefixed with a unique string, most commonly
debian-for lists related to the Debian Project.Lists for external projects don't need a prefix, as they will be created as
listname@other.debian.org.Words are separated with a dash, "-", so for example a list about "Foo bar" in relation to Debian would be called debian-foo-bar.
- Rationale
-
Full explanation on why do you want this list be created.
The listmasters reserve the right to ask for consensus on debian-devel and / or debian-project lists first. If you are aware your request is questionable, you can speed up the process by discussing the matter even before filing the bug.
- Short description
-
This is the one-line description, for display in list indices, so make it short and straightforward.
- Long description
-
This description is meant for people who are looking for the proper list to join, so make sure it's clear and informative.
See the subscription page for examples.
- Category
-
This is needed to classify the list and to properly sort it on the subscription page and elsewhere.
The available categories can be found on the homepage of lists.debian.org.
- Subscription Policy
-
open / closed
If closed, who may get subscribed, who can approve subscription requests? We usually don't support closed lists, you need a very good reasoning for requesting such a list.
- Post Policy
-
open / moderated
If moderated, who are the moderators? We usually don't support moderated lists, you need a very good reasoning for requesting such a list. There also doesn't exist a webfrontend or something like that. Moderation is done by mail only.
- Web Archive
-
yes / no
At our mailing list archives.. We do expect for list archives to be public, you do need a good reason for not having a web archive.
After filing the request, it would be very much appreciated if several other people interested in the new list would send a mail to the bug, in order to record their interest.
Please follow the above rules, because improper requests will not be implemented.
Moving existing mailing lists to lists.debian.org
An existing mailing list can be moved to lists.debian.org: the administrator of the list has to submit a request as described above and provide us with a list of subscribers (in plain text format, one address per line). Archives of the existing list can also be imported from files in mbox format (preferably split per month).
In addition to that, they should set up redirections from the old location to the new one, of course.