[Mailman-Users] reverse "anonymous" list

[Mark Sapiro]

On 2/13/2012 8:50 AM, George, Harry G wrote:
> I'm a long time happy user/admin for mailman lists, but am stumped on
> a new request.   User wants to do a send-only list, where neither
> "mailman" or the list's name appears in mailings.   It would look
> like a simple email  from poster, and bcc'd to receivers who could
> reply to that poster (but not to the list).       (Sometimes the very
> existence of a list, or the name of a list, can be sensitive - even
> if just exposed to members of the list.)
> 
> I was tempted to just do it as a batch python email app, but am
> trying mailman first.    So far we've configured for:


That may be the better way.


> a)      Everyone on list is moderated, and mailings from moderated
> are discarded
> 
> b)      The valid senders are non-members and are listed on
> non-member- approved-to-send config list.


It is much more secure to have the authorized posters post using an
Approved: <password> header. Then it doesn't matter if they are
moderated members or not, and spoofing doesn't work.


> c)       Reply to "Poster" But "mailman" and the listname still
> appear in headers and footers.
> 
> I looked at Default.py (and mm_cfg.py), the template txt files,
> Handlers.CookedHeaders.py, and Handlers.Decorate.     I think I
> *need* to doctor the Decorate.decorate "SafeDict".


Decorate only replaces variables in msg_header, msg_footer,
digest_header and digest_footer. Unless you want to create new
replacements, you should be able to make msg_header, msg_footer, etc.
what you want by just changing those list attributes.

If you make set the list's personalize setting 'Full Personalization'
(see the FAQ at <http://wiki.list.org/x/UYA9>), that will set the To:
header to the recipient. It will also put the list address in a Cc:
which you don't want. I suggest you address this and perhaps other
issues such as Received: headers by creating a custom handler to be
inserted in the pipeline of this list only following CookHeaders. This
handler would remove or mung any header information you don't want on
the list such as the Cc: added by CookHeaders. See the FAQ at
<http://wiki.list.org/x/l4A9> for info on custom handlers.


> Is that the right approach?  Is there a way to do this via mm_cfg?
> Any way to make it list-specific?  Anybody try this before?


The custom handler can be list specific and everything else that I
suggest is standard list configuration.

-- 
Mark Sapiro <mark at msapiro.net>        The highway is for gamblers,
San Francisco Bay Area, California    better use your sense - B. Dylan