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<META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT="MajorCool is a Web interface to Majordomo. This is an installed copy; the definitive site for MajorCool info is http://ncrinfo.ncr.com/pub/contrib/unix/MajorCool/">
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<TITLE>MajorCool Introduction</TITLE>
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<IMG SRC="../icons/mc_cool_banner.gif" ALT="[MajorCool]" ALIGN=MIDDLE>
<H3 ALIGN=CENTER>MajorCool: A Web Interface To Majordomo</H3>
<FONT SIZE=-1><!--META-->(This is a copy of the <I>MajorCool</I> <A HREF="http://ncrinfo.ncr.com/pub/contrib/unix/MajorCool/">master</A> documentation set)</FONT>
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<B>Introduction</B><BR>
<A HREF="usage.htm">Usage</A><BR>
<A HREF="prereq.htm">System Requirements</A><BR>
<A HREF="install.htm">Installation</A><BR>
<A HREF="config.htm">Configuration</A><BR>
<A HREF="future.htm">Future Direction</A><BR>
<A HREF="support.htm">Licensing, FAQs, & Credits</A><BR>
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<H2>Introduction</H2>
<P><A HREF="http://www.greatcircle.com/majordomo/"><I>Majordomo</I></A>
is a mailing list manager written in Perl by Brent Chapman. Chances
are, anyone who has ever subscribed to an Internet mailing list has
likely used <I>Majordomo</I> to do it. List configuration, subscription
management, identifying the purpose of a list or who is on it, or even
finding what lists are available are all functions easily provided by
commands sent in e-mail to a <I>Majordomo</I> server address.
<P>But as popular as <I>Majordomo</I> is, the mail-based command
structure can be a difficult concept for novices to grasp. In addition,
there are numerous other opportunities for users to encounter difficulties:
being subscribed under multiple addresses, the word-wrapping behavior of
some mailers, and even the "delayed gratification" nature of the mail-based
interface can often confuse users. And if end-user functions such as
"<CODE>subscribe</CODE>" and "<CODE>unsubscribe</CODE>" are confusing,
imagine the novice list administrator staring at a 300+ line
configuration file that was requested (and must be returned) via
<I>Majordomo</I> mail commands!
<P>By its very nature, <I>Majordomo</I> has always lacked a GUI tool to
help simplify its usage for inexperienced users. However, with the World
Wide Web providing the perfect foundation, it may be an appropriate time for
just such an application.
<P><I>MajorCool</I>, written in Perl, is a Web interface for
<I>Majordomo</I> mailing list configuration and subscriber management.
Unlike many Web-to-mailing-list interfaces currently available,
<I>MajorCool</I> is uniquely different:
<UL>
<P>
<LI>
<B><I>MajorCool</I> provides an <U>administrative</U> interface for list
owners.</B> Most previous attempts to gateway between the Web and list
managers focused only on the end-user interface for subscription
management and list browsing. Using <I>MajorCool</I>, however, list
owners may access many of the more common list configuration actions
via a Web browser GUI as opposed to requesting, modifying, and
re-submitting a <I>Majordomo</I> list configuration file via e-mail.
Especially noteworthy is the concept of an "Approval Queue", where
moderated list messages can be approved, rejected, and even edited via
the Web rather than relying on <I>Majordomo</I>'s difficult scheme
of mail header manipulation.
<P>
<LI>
<B>Other Web interfaces are "off-line".</B> Mailing list CGIs are not
typically run on the list manager host and instead only go so far as to
help to format and send an e-mail message to the remote mailing list
service. There is no direct resource manipulation or immediate user
feedback for even the simplest of actions. <I>MajorCool</I>, in contrast,
is directly tied to the <I>Majordomo</I> service and is designed to be
co-located with the <I>Majordomo</I> program suite. <I>MajorCool</I>
offers users immediate notification of current status and the ability
to interact directly for viewing lists and their various configurations.
<P>
<LI>
<B>The <I>MajorCool</I> interface is highly tailorable.</B> It has the
capability to support multiple instantiations or a <I>Majordomo</I> virtual
server setup, each with their own unique configuration. These configurations
control access to major functions, security parameters, and a variety of
display options.
<P>
<LI>
<B><I>MajorCool</I> makes extensive use of the <I>Majordomo</I> library
code.</B> All keywords, data types, default values, and comments are
accessed via the config file API -- there are no hardcoded values or
assumptions about file formats or configurations. Thus, any local keyword
enhancements or customizations are automatically available to
<I>MajorCool</I> with no additional programming required.
<P>
<LI>
<B><I>MajorCool</I> can utilize site-specific name-to-address conversion
tools.</B> The ability to interface to external data sources allows
users to be associated with multiple addresses rather than relying on
a single address comparison as <I>Majordomo</I> does. (<I>MajorCool</I>
may also be implemented without the address mapping functionality if
there are no data equivalencies applicable.)
<P>
<LI>
<B><I>MajorCool</I> does not require redundant setup.</B> Other Web
interfaces require extra administration, since adding a new list to
<I>Majordomo</I> requires adding the list to the configuration of the Web
interface as well. With the server co-location, lists added to
<I>Majordomo</I> are automatically made available to <I>MajorCool</I>.
<P>
<LI>
<B><I>MajorCool</I> processes commands safely and without e-mail delays.</B>
Although query actions utilize direct access to <I>Majordomo</I> files,
modifications are implemented via messages sent to <I>Majordomo</I>. However,
unlike Web interfaces that interact via e-mail, <I>MajorCool</I> (running
on the same server as <I>Majordomo</I>), sends the commands directly to the
application. The advantages of this are two-fold. Delays incurred by e-mail
are eliminated, making for immediate interaction with <I>Majordomo</I>
resources. At the same time, <I>Majordomo</I> ultimately controls what
is done, so <I>MajorCool</I> is neither a re-invention of the wheel,
nor will it ever do something that <I>Majordomo</I> permissions
typically disallow.
</UL>
<P>
Far be it for <I>MajorCool</I> to claim a monopoly -- there are a
number of other CGI applications available that are designed for the
end-user and/or list-administrator (
<A HREF="http://iquest.com/~fitz/www/mailserv/">MailServ</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.netspace.org/users/dwb/lwgate.html">LWGate</A>,
<A HREF="http://gaia.gutierrez.com/majordomo/">Gutierrez'</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.inf.utfsm.cl/~marcos/majordomo/www.html">Marcos'</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.ed.umuc.edu/products/pandora.html">Pandora</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.outer.net/wps/content2.htm#ch12">Maitre-d</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.peak.org/peak_info/mlists/Majordomo.html">Regan's</A>
). I encourage you to use the tool which best meets
your needs.
<H3><I>MajorCool</I> is not...</H3>
<P><B><I>MajorCool</I> is not</B> a tool to access remotely hosted mailing
lists. Nor is it primarily designed to provide a one-button subscribe
action for an individual mailing list (although that functionality
<A HREF="config.htm#REMOTE">is supported</A>). Other more generic
interfaces such as <A HREF="http://iquest.com/~fitz/www/mailserv/">MailServ</A>
and <A HREF="http://www.netspace.org/users/dwb/lwgate.html">LWGate</A>
do this much more efficiently than <I>MajorCool</I> ever could.
<I>MajorCool</I>'s distinctiveness lies in its support of administrative
functions, and a key feature is its site-oriented method of providing
access to all lists on a server.
<P><B><I>MajorCool</I> is not</B> 100% secure. Remember: "security is
inversely proportional to convenience", and <I>MajorCool</I> is first
and foremost meant to make things easy for the list subscriber or
administrator. Its unsecure nature stems from a lack of
"authentication" in the subscribe/unsubscribe functionality -- there is
no guarantee that the user entered a valid or "true" address. [NOTE:
only the end-user functions should be considered unsafe; the list admin
features are secure, and since the two can be accessed separately, you
can choose to not provide the end-user support.]
<H3><I>MajorCool</I> is...</H3>
<P><B><I>MajorCool</I> is</B> a site management tool. It offers a
complete view of all lists available on a server, allowing users
to browse and subscribe as permissions allow.
<P><B><I>MajorCool</I> is</B> an excellent intranet application. Its
use of <CODE>siteaddr</CODE> modules allow users within a specific
environment to be identified by multiple addresses. This address
mapping capability is less applicable for general Internet purposes
due to the diversity of e-mail addresses (but if you have a database
available, it can be done).
<P><I>MajorCool</I> is currently enjoying heavy use at the Southern
California campuses of NCR Corp, presently serving close to 2000 local
users, countless remote subscribers, and over 500 active lists. It has
proven to be a most valuable service, and much preferred by users over
the standard <I>Majordomo</I> e-mail interface.
<P>Many would-be implementors ask if they could see <I>MajorCool</I>
in operation before they elect to install it. Alas, the aforementioned
NCR site is behind the company firewall. You might want to look at
these sites instead:
<UL>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.webhostcme.com/cgi-bin/majordomo">
Crazy Mountain Enterprises</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://mail.GAIANET.NET/cgi-bin/majordomo">
GAIANET</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www1.snunit.k12.il/htbin/majordomo">
Isreali English Teachers Network</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.mailinglists.org/cgi-bin/majordomo/">
MailingLists.Org</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.msstate.edu/cgi-bin/majordomo/">
Mississippi State University</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.quality.org/cgi-bin/majordomo">
Quality Resources OnLine</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.sportsurf.net/majorcool/majorcool.cgi">
SportSurf.Net</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.atm.ch.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/majorcool_browse">
University of Cambridge, Centre for Atmospheric Science</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.uow.edu.au/cgi-bin/majorcool">
University of Wollongong</A>
</UL>
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