[Mailman-Users] Really Fustrating - Searchable Archives

[Richard Barrett]

At 14:34 09/07/2003, Peter Russell wrote:
>Not being a Linux guru, just getting mailman and sendmail or postfix all
>set up and working properly is a fair task. Attacking a working installing
>to get mhonarc and htdig working and MM patched is just an excercise in
>fustration. (without a detailed howto, slightly beyond my linux skills)

You do not have to install Mhonarc to get searchable archives. Mhonarc is 
an external archiver and some people prefer that to using the Mailman 
internal pipermail archiver. Adding Mhonarc to the equation just 
complicates the issues for you rather than simplifying adding search.

With the following information available, more directed advice will be 
achievable:

1. are you making the list archives available over the internet or only 
within your own domain?

2. are all your list archives public or do you have some private archives 
whose privacy you want to preserve over search?

3. do you want per-list search indexes that will only return search hits 
relevant to individual lists or do you want site-wide search indexes that 
may return hits from many lists?

4. do you have any search engine installed on the server running Mailman? 
If so what is it?

5. do you have any search engine installed on any other server in your 
network? If so what is it and can you change its configuration files so 
that it can be directed to also index your list archives?

6. do you want search forms on the TOC pages of individual list archives?

7. what OS and version are you running?

8. what version of Python are you running?

8. what version of MM are you running and how was it installed: from source 
or was it packaged?

With the above information it will be easier to produce a directed guide to 
setting up search for your list archives.

>Is there anywhere that a 1, 2, 3 - press this then type that type guide
>exists to achieve threaded archiving and a good search feature?

Answer the above questions and you may get your wish. btw: Mailman's 
internal archiver produces threaded archives out of the box.

>OR is there any chance that these types of features are going to be
>avilable in the MM release? Or is there a CVS i can download and install?

It is being considered.

>Can anyone tell me why archive search (or even threaded archives) are not
>used out of the box with this product?

A fair number of people are running htdig with or without using the mailman 
integration patches. It really is not that difficult to install and setup. 
Like a lot of Open Software, there may be a certain lack of polish but the 
base technology is pretty good and comes at a remarkably good price.

btw: did I mention that Mailman's internal archiver produces threaded 
archives out of the box.


>Is there a product that does EVERYTHING that mailman does and does have the
>search and archives features too?

Maybe, but a mailing list supporting no-cost Open Software is probably not 
the place to look for it.

>The punters who wanted mailman are starting to get mad as hell at me for
>not having these features going, i appreciate ANY input/suggestions.

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Richard Barrett                                      http://www.openinfo.co.uk