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Development needed for Mailgust

Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2004 2:48 am
by lee.
hello everyone,

This post is longer that I feel is ideal, but everything is relevant.

Mailgust (mailgust.org) is an already excellent php4/MySql software, offering combined or separate Mailing List Manager, Newsletter Tool and Web Forums. ie you can work a list/forum in a true web > mail, mail > web manner.

It is open source and has been in an ongoing period of non-development for 6 months, because the one man involved simply has to focus on paid work for quite reasonable personal needs.

I am a keen user and enthusiast, in regular contact with the developer, who tells me the software needs a substantial re-write before improving on what he has added since inheriting Mailgust from the original writers.

From my personal usage perspective (I am not a programmer) there are 2 areas which really need hacking as a matter of some immediacy, which the developer is well aware of and has explained to me:

1) Bounces regarding Return-Path / MAIL FROM in outgoing envelope

When set to mail out using SMTP, the software currently routes mail delivery errors/notifications from mail daemons to the list address. This was a temporary bodge, with the logic that a list set to 'only subscribers can write' will cause Mailgust to just ignore the error mail.

When set to mail out using the Sendmail binary (where available), mail delivery errors/notifications get mailed directly from mail daemons to innocent list subscribers, if there happens to be a dead or over quota address subscribed to that list.
The developer knows the Sendmail side of things also needs more work within Mailgust, which is primarily SMTP oriented.

2) Thread breaking by non-compliant webmail programs

Many webmail operators including Hotmail and Aol do not maintain some or many standard mail headers when they produce their version of a 'reply', meaning such replies end up creating new threads under the original subject.

The only viable solution appears to be specifically coding mailgust to insert a unique thread identifier tag into the subject line of outgoing mails. Mailgust would then of course need to look at incoming mails and decide whether and where to thread the mail. Using the subject line appears to be the only practical option, _assuming_ the replyer leaves the tag in place.

So that's it;

Do you feel you can offer a reasonable amount of (unpaid) time to get stuck into the code? Either on the re-write or my 2 described issues? I really hope so ! ....

Feel free to reply here or PM me, have a look at the latest mailgust beta version (2.0pre4b), maybe install it and have a play with it; I'm convinced you'll love it.

Many thanks,
Lee
in England.