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README ezmlmx
=============

1. What is ``ezmlmx''?
----------------------

ezmlmx is a (refactored) fork combining

- Dan Bernstein's ezmlm-0.53 amd
- Bruce Guenter's and Fred Lindberg's ezmlm-idx-0.44(4)

Mailing Listing Manager (MLM) to work with my

- fehQlibs and packaged in the
- slashpackage format while using
- (s/)qmail as MTA.

ezmlmx amends therefore my

- s/qmail,
- ucspi-ssl, and
- mess822x 

packages while trying to preserve D. J. Bernstein's
groundbraking SW develoments for current Unix systems.


2. What is a ``Mailing Listing Manager''?
-----------------------------------------

A Mailing Listing Manager (MLM) is used 

- to provide a (public) email address 
- to be used as corresponding address for
- (pseudonymous) subscribers in order
- to share emails (and in general knowledge/news).

The main responsibility of a MLM is

- to allow a subscription of an email address,
- to verify the Subscriber,
- to forward any email to this list to it's Subscribers,
- to enable searching in a list archive, and 
- to receive older mails, and finally 
- to permit the Subscriber to (conditially) unsubscribe.


3. Types of Mailing Lists
-------------------------

We have 

- public and
- private Mailing Lists.

The Mailing List 

- may be moderated (by particular administrators) or 
- open to any post by the subscribers.

A Mailing List

- might be solely addressable by email, or to
- provide a Web interface for reading archived mails, 
- for subscription and unsubscribing, and
- potentially for administrative purposes.

ezmlmx based on s/qmail aimes to fulfill all these
requirments, perhaps with third-party software. 


4. Which other ``Mailing List Manager'' do exist?
-------------------------------------------------

Other major and popular MLMs are:

- MajorDomo (PERL script)
- GNU MailMan (Python script)
- ListServ (whow, the original is IBM's RSCS based)


5. What is the benefit of ``ezmlmx''?
-------------------------------------

ezmlmx is written in 'C'. It takes advantage of 
(s/)qmail for sending/receiving emails from/to
subscribers. Large email volumes can be delegated 
to subordinary MTAs using QMQ (Qmail Multiple Queues).

Subscription and unsubscription is based on a 
``cookie'' mechanism preventing fraud of email addresses
while validing existing mailboxes.

Based on s/qmail message transmission is confidentially
realized by TLS. Mailing List responses may be DKIM signed.


6. Why this fork of ``ezmlm''?
------------------------------

As a consultant and SW developer, I was responsible for
Qmail and large volume ezmlm-idx mailing lists at the 
German broadcasting company WDR back in 200x. 

ezmlm-idx is used for my users on ``fehcom.de'' as well.


7. What is the future of ``ezmlmx''?
------------------------------------ 

ezmlm-idx is now available in version 7.2.x. 
It provides a 

- different language template engine, while
- coping better with internalization, and a
- more powerful database backend.

This is expected to be incorporated in forthcoming versions.


8. Further reading
------------------

Within the ./doc directory you will find:

- AUTHORS:   The known contributers to this SW
- BLURB:     The original BLURB of DJB
- CHANGELOG: The changes incorporated into ezmlmx
- FAQ.md:    A modified FAQ from Fred Lindberg adjusted for ezmlmx
- LICENSE:   The license file
- OLD/:      Previous and outdated documents

ezmlmx web site is:

- http(s)://www.fehcom.de/ipnet/ezmlmx.html


9. Communication
----------------

An ``ezmlmx` mailing list will be provided to file
bugs, whishes, and to announce news and information.

Please check ezmlmx's web site to inscribe.


Erwin Hoffmann, feh@fehcom.de (April, 14th, 2025)