Improved collaboration methods.

[no.to...@gmail.com]

We want to promote Linux, because the more users we are,
the more chance of some users making contributions from which
we all can benefit.

In any system, the higher up the heirarchy the improvements are,
the greater the effect. Obviously, in an army: if the lower soldier
makes a boo-boo, that's unfortunate, but if the Field Mashal makes
a boo-boo, that's disasterous.

So these tips about tips about HOW2 have potentially much leverage.

Just to take a concrete example: because my ISP1 only accepts sending
via a direct dialup; which I can't do now; and my ISP2's email is OOO,
I know only how to send via web-based-gmail. Queries about HOW2
send directly to the mail-lists who know/accept me as <me>@ISP1
get replies about 'sendmail & smart-host'. Then googSearch gets:

repeated typically baby-talk instructions, eg:
> To set up sendmail & smart-host YOU should edit <dingDong>
> $ vi <dingDong>

1. don't use YOU. Describe the system, NOT the reader.
Don't say 'you should not drop the glass'.
SAY "if the glass is dropped, the milk will spill out and
the glass may break" and let the reader decide what to do.
Don't tell the READER how-to edit <dingDong>.
Describe what the SYSTEM needs <dingDong> to be.

2. and most importantly [provided you KNOW what's happening,
and aren't just reporting on what-worked-for-me], describe the
intermediate trace steps. As an absurd/extreme example of an
intermediate trace step: the PC needs to be running, as confirmed
by some noise or light.

And using the 'hello-world' principle, if sendmail can first be
confirmed to be working at a minimlist level: perhaps by sending
from 'root' to <someNonRoot>. And what files were thereby
changed, and thus can act as intermediate trace steps.

Thanks,

== Chris Glur.

[Whiskers]

On 2012-10-20, no.to...@gmail.com <no.to...@gmail.com> wrote:

[...]

> Just to take a concrete example: because my ISP1 only accepts sending
> via a direct dialup; which I can't do now; and my ISP2's email is OOO,
> I know only how to send via web-based-gmail. Queries about HOW2
> send directly to the mail-lists who know/accept me as <me>@ISP1
> get replies about 'sendmail & smart-host'.

[...]

That isn't a Linux problem, and the solution is essentially independent of
your operating system and email tools.

If you have an email account with your "ISP1" then you can use it, within
whatever restrictions the service provider imposes. If you have no email
account with them any longer, then you cannot legitimately use any email
address that you used to have when you did have an account with them.

So your mailing list subscriptions must either either continue, with you
sending messages to them using whatever method is permitted by "ISP1", or
you must make a new subscription to each one using an email address that
you are entitled to (and unsubscribe the old email address). You can if
you wish announce this change in each of the mailing lists concerned. It's
a perfectly normal thing for people to change their email addresses from
time to time.

I have no idea what you mean by "my ISP2's email is OOO".

There are several independent email service providers, most of whom allow
IMAP POP and SMTP access from any internet connection and using whatever
software you prefer; the necessary settings will be set out somewhere on
the web site associated with the service concerned.

You appear to have an account with Google's gmail service, which is free of
charge and provides all the connection methods you seem to want. In common
with many other email service providers, Google will allow you to use their
SMTP server for sending emails with any email address you are entitled to
use, once you have demonstrated that you are indeed entitled to send emails
'from' that address. The instructions for setting this up are available on
the gmail web site.

All this has been explained to you before, at some length and by different
people. If you require step-by-step click-here and type-this instructions,
then you need to state exactly which version of what software you are using
- and if it isn't in common use, you may have difficulty finding a forum
where more experienced users of that software can be found. A mailing-list
may be the only resource available. In that case, a pragmatic strategy
would be to start using more popular software, possibly something designed
for less technical users. Several such email packages are available for
Linux.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~