[Mailman3-dev] Problem with the schema

[Ian Eiloart]

--On April 1, 2005 00:36:16 -0500 Barry Warsaw <barry at python.org> wrote:

> On Wed, 2005-03-30 at 11:58, John-Paul Robinson wrote:
>
>> Until a roster is orphaned (no longer has any references) it is not
>> eligable for deletion (similar to a hard link in a traditional file
>> system).  Note, in cases where the subscribers and rosters come from an
>> external source, the "zero reference" condition may not be under the
>> control of mailman.  That is, a roster may always have > 0 reference in
>> this situation and mailman would never try to delete it.
>
> True.  The external roster may be (to Mailman) just a pointer to an
> interface, so while that pointer can be deleted, the resources in the
> external system obviously should never be (through Mailman).
>
> -Barry

Hmm... just because the resources are still in the external system doesn't 
mean that it is OK to delete it automatically when it isn't referenced:

It could be a fairly complex sql or ldap query, and could contain a 
sensitive password for the external system. Someone deleting a list won't 
necessarily be able to recreate the roster. Even if they have permissions 
in Mailman to do that, they may not have the password, or they may lack the 
skills to generate the query, or they may lack knowledge of the database 
structure.

In fact, it may be harder to generate a roster that is "just a pointer" 
than to generate a list. The value of the pointer is not that it is easier 
to create, but that it is easier to maintain. That goes out of the window 
if the pointer can be deleted by removing a list.


-- 
Ian Eiloart
Servers Team
Sussex University ITS