MajorCool: A Web Interface To Majordomo Release (This is a copy of the MajorCool master documentation set)

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MajorCool is a CGI script written in Perl that provides a Web interface to Majordomo v1.9x^*. It is intended to run co-located with the Majordomo program (ie, both list-server and Web on the same host). Employing a variety of Web/GUI techniques such as Balloon Help, Per-User Preferences, and MouseOver cues, MajorCool puts a friendly face on top of the Majordomo list management processes.

"If you run a Majordomo service, go get MajorCool!"
-- Mark Rauterkus, E-Marketing Digest

MajorCool was originally designed as an administrative front-end to the popular mailing list manager, allowing novice list-owners to manage their list configuration and subscriber base. With the easy-to-use password protected screens, list managers can:

• Edit the list config file. Presentation of the complex list configuration file is simplified through the intuitive use of HTML radio buttons and text fields.
• Update the subscriber file via an easy-to-use text window. Changes to the list are converted to the appropriate individual approved subscribe and unsubscribe commands.
• Manage the moderator's Approval Queue, deleting, rejecting, or approving BOUNCE messages that require review. No more messing with mail headers!
• Edit files in the Approval Queue prior to action. Limited only by browser memory constraints.
• Create or edit the list's info and intro files.
• Download the list configuration file via e-mail.

In addition to its list administration functions, MajorCool also provides a site-oriented view of the list-server's lists. MajorCool extends the address matching capabilities of Majordomo through the use of configurable siteaddr modules, permitting external directory sources such as X.500 to supply name-to-address conversions and provide pattern-matching address comparisons. These features enable MajorCool to identify list subscribers by multiple valid addresses, allowing end-users to interactively:

• View lists available on the server:
  • All lists on the system.
  • Unsubscribed lists.
  • Subscribed lists (regardless of the address used for subscription).
  • Lists with names or descriptions that match a certain pattern.
• Subscribe or unsubscribe to any list.
• View the list's info or intro files.
• View members of a list.

Lastly, MajorCool provides a mailing list request mechanism, allowing end-users to ask that a list be created, renamed, or deleted. This request can be mailed to the Majordomo owner, or passed to an external program to perform whatever actions are desired. (Sample applications are provided to implement list creation, renaming, and/or deletion on-the-fly.)

MajorCool made its debut as a presentation at the USENIX Tenth Systems Administration Conference (LISA'96). The software is included in the CD-ROM distribution of Prentice-Hall's "UNIX System Administration Handbook", and is also made available in the FreeBSD Ports Collection. It has been referenced in O'Reilly's "Managing Mailing Lists" and has also been mentioned in Web Techniques and Information Week magazines.

"Much of what I'd do (or do differently) has been done as add-on packages for Majordomo (for instance, Bill Houle's "MajorCool" Web interface)..."
-- Brent Chapman, "Ten Questions For Majordomo", Information Week

For more information (additional propaganda, sample screen shots, etc) and detailed installation instructions, please continue on to the program documentation.

NOTE: Majordomo2, currently under development, is a complete rewrite of Majordomo with a whole host of new & exciting features. In order to develop a web interface for the new version, this will be the last planned release of MajorCool for the 1.9x family. Support will continue and bugs will be fixed where appropriate, but my time will best be spent on developing something for the new Majordomo series.