Sinister: PLEASE READ

[honey at xxx.org]

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 at 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 at missprint.org)

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