Friends, Real crisis I'm afraid. Esosoft ("majordomo.net"), the people who provide the service to make this list work have done the dirty on us and are pulling the plug in the next week or so, although they won't say when exactly, and offering to move it to a "free" service provider which won't work for us. They've just sent the most insulting email imaginable informing me of their new "partnership" with topica.com, meaning they don't make enough money from selling mailing lists any more and they're giving or selling all your addresses, without your permission to one of these "free" mailing lists providers, which in fact make money from adverts to YOU. The outcome of this "new opportunity" for us all to move to Topica would be far-reaching and I suspect finish us off pretty quickly. Topica is like Onelist, Listbot, and the many other free mailing list providers - they work fine for small or inactive lists, but with over a 1000 subscribers this list comes close to being unmanageable very often even now, and the reams of software I've written to work with Majordomo (the list software) and Esosoft's specific enhancements just tip the scale in the positive direction and allow it to all keep working. Without this there's not a hope I could handle the error-trapping, helping people out with different email address versions who can't post, stopping the tide of junk mail, HTML mail, virus warnings, and all the mailing list handling details on the WWW site. It just, honestly, would be too much to do, with an active vibrant community such as you. It will in any case also mean an end to the nursery (people in the nursery don't yell "yeah!" all at once - you'll see the point when you're a list member and we don't have one!) I'm completely livid at this, and am going to forward a mail to you all I'm sending to Esosoft's own mailing list for list admins, which I fully expect them to block, I'm sad to say. I'm also copying it to some other interested parties, but I expect it's not going to change minds at Esosoft. I'm really sorry to bore you all with this and I promise I won't keep on passing on correspondence: I know lots of you are just here with a passing interest, and as has been said on many occasions "it's not the fucking United Nations supply line". I know, I know, but enough people have told me this list has been important to their own lives for me to want to find a way through this mess so unceremoniously dumped on us, and with such exquisite timing. Finally a few things for now: 1. Please don't send mail to my Esosoft address any more, as I suspect the carpet will be pulled from under my feet. My new email address is "honey@missprint.org", PLEASE update all your address books now. 2. Thanks so much for those who want to offer support over this. My email box is a major source of stress to me these days and I'm only just keeping my head above water. Please this time, for sure, understand that messages of support won't get a reply. I'm really sorry for this, and shed a tear everytime I don't reply to someone who took the time to help, and it really does help, but I'm sinking fast here. 3. IF however you KNOW of a good Majordomo (ONLY) mailing list provider who doesn't cost much and has a good reputation please mail me immediately with as many details as you can. It HAS to be Majordomo, so please check first, and offers of the use of someone's work machine, while kind, just wouldn't provide a reliable environment I'm afraid. But anyone who knows of someone good commercially, I'll kiss you all over it if works out. 4. If Esosoft or Topica have the GALL to mail you all telling you of the wonderful new opportunities the transition will bring you, please discount such an email for now. 5. Do any of you feel like writing to them? Hmm. I'll send on my mail which I'm sending to Esosoft in a little while, delete on sight seen if you don't want to read. It's another rant I'm afraid and you don't have to read it - I just want to let them know you all know. Honey (honey@missprint.org) +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the reborn Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". WWW: http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +-+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students" +-+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +-+ "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+