[Python-Dev] Public or private python-dev archives?

[Guido van Rossum]

In a private mail, Greg Stein suggested that the python-dev archives
should be restricted to the members of the list.  I prefer to make
them public, but I won't want to impose this on others without
discussion.  So I've made the archives private for the time being
while we discuss this meta-issue.  (Also, the existence of the list
isn't announced by mailman on its listinfo page.)

Here's my argument for open archives.  I don't think that we have
anything to hide from the public -- I think of us as a technical forum
whose discussions may affect others (e.g. Python users) and I think
it's often useful for those others to be able to see what we've said.

I want to keep membership of the list closed as a gentle way to
enforce focus and quality of discussion.

Jeremy pointed out that there's no restiction on posting, and
mentioned that together with open archives this makes the list just as
open as an open-subscription list.  I don't see this equivalence --
certainly it makes a difference in practice, and the open posting is
simply a mechanism to allow members with multiple email addresses to
post from whereever they are.  If we regularly get spammed or find the 
list is targeted by angry Python users we might have to restrict
posting to members (and deal with the multiple address problem).

I hope the discussion about this issue will be short (otherwise it
would detract from the real goal of this list).  I'll follow the
desire of the majority of current members; once we have a decision I
propose to stick with it and simply present new members with the
facts.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)