[Live-devel] New policy for this mailing list: Postings from unprofessional email addresses will no longer be accepted

[Ross Finlayson]

The “LIVE555 Streaming Media” software - and this mailing list - have always been intended for use by professional software developers: People who are affiliated with corporations using this software commercially (or schools using this software for research).  As the software is open source, however, hobbyists are also free to use it, but to post to this mailing list, they are expected to demonstrate at least a minimal level of ‘cluefulness’ by using an email address with their own domain name - not just a generic “@gmail”, “@yahoo”, etc.-type email address.  (Note that the underlying email *service* is not the problem; you can use your own domain name even with a public web-based email service like ‘Gmail’ or ‘Yahoo Mail'.)

Previously, we have allowed postings to this mailing list from unprofessional email addresses, but such messages have always been ‘quarantined’: moderated and delayed (for hours or days) before being allowed to get delivered to the mailing list.  This was intended (in part) to remind people of the ‘stigma’ that has always been associated with such email addresses - but it has become clear that many people simply have simply not been getting the hint.  Also, we’ve been getting increasingly many postings from people who are clearly lacking in the skills required to use this software.

Worse, it has become clear that several companies that use the “LIVE555 Streaming Media” software have been trying to hide the fact that they use this software, by having their employees post to this mailing list using generic “@gmail.com”-type email addresses, rather than their corporate email addresses.  Perhaps these companies feel that this reduces their exposure to the LGPL (it doesn’t!), or perhaps they are concerned about competitors (real or imagined) learning about their plans.  If you want private email support for this software, then you can do so by purchasing consulting time; you’re not going to get it ‘for free’ on this public mailing list.

From now on, postings to this mailing list from unprofessional email addresses will no longer be accepted.  This includes (but is not limited to) email addresses using the following domain names: “@gmail.com <http://gmail.com/>”, “@yahoo.<anything>”, “@msn.com <http://msn.com/>”, “@aol.com <http://aol.com/>”, “@mail.ru <http://mail.ru/>”, “@qq.com <http://qq.com/>”, “@163.c <http://163.net/>om”.

Note that this policy applies only to *postings* to the mailing list.  Anyone (no matter what email address they use) can still subscribe to this mailing list to receive messages, and of course can continue to read the online archives.


Ross Finlayson
Live Networks, Inc.
http://www.live555.com/

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