Hi, now that the rename of "SUSE Linux" into "openSUSE" is taking place with the release of alpha 3 I think it is time to also adjust our mailing list layout. I would like to propose the following changes: 1. Generic user support + catch-all list opensuse@opensuse.org (changed list description) The last year has shown that opensuse@opensuse.org is the first list users subscribe to if they have questions about the distribution, or are looking for user-level support. The original idea was that these questions would be handled by the established suse-linux lists. This did not work well for several reasons and led to many high-volume discussions about the list itself and the naming scheme. I assume we're all tired of these discussions. I think we can use the natural tendency of new users to subscribe to this list by making it exactly the list new users need: - user questions and support of all levels - generic questions about the distribution and the project - discussions about specific topics for which other lists exist can still _politely_ be sent there (e.g. -wiki, -buildservice) 2. Project / community related discussion opensuse-project@opensuse.org (new) This list would be for people who want to take a more active role in the openSUSE project as a whole. Possible topics for this list could include, but wouldn't be restricted to: - organisation of Linux events where openSUSE as a project is present (FOSDEM 2007, LinuxTag 2007...) - new subprojects - requests for new mailing lists (as a result of a successful subproject start ;-)) - activities to promote openSUSE and/or attract more developers (e.g. Google Summer of Code) 3. Discussion of various other topics as needed opensuse-buildservice@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-wiki@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-factory@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-packaging@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-doc@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-translation@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-optimize@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-ipf@opensuse.org (unchanged) These are mostly self-explanatory and will not be changed in any way. There is a slight overlap between opensuse and opensuse-factory if people use the development snapshots of the distribution, but this hasn't been a problem so far. 4. Read-only lists opensuse-announce@opensuse.org (unchanged) Low volume, for those who just want the news, not the chatter. opensuse-commit@opensuse.org (unchanged) High-volume, shows the changelog of every package submitted to factory 5. Foreign language lists opensuse-fr@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-hu@opensuse.org (unchanged) opensuse-it@opensuse.org (unchanged) If a group of speakers of any given language want opensuse mailing lists in that language, we will always start with opensuse-<languagecode>@opensuse.org, and this will be a catch-all list for all topics mentioned in section 1. to 3. If this list gets enough traffic to justify a split into several lists, they will follow the layout in section 2. and 3. but add a language code. Examples would be: opensuse-project-de@opensuse.org (non-existent example) opensuse-wiki-fr@opensuse.org (non-existant-example) 6. Existing SUSE Linux lists With the renaming of the distribution, the mailing list names used on lists.suse.com will eventually be outdated. We consider merging some of these lists with their openSUSE counterparts. Obvious candidates are e.g.: suse-linux@suse.com -> opensuse-de@opensuse.org suse-linux-e@suse.com -> opensuse@opensuse.org As the suse linux lists are long-existing, active communities, this step will not happen without a discussion on the affected lists. 7. IRC channels IRC channels on freenode should follow the same layout as the mailing lists, if a mailing list for the respective topic exists. Right now the following active channels exist: #opensuse #opensuse-de #opensuse-devel #openSUSE-GNOME #opensuse-project #opensuse-factory #opensuse-buildservice Of these I think #opensuse-devel is unnecessary and should be merged with #opensuse-factory, but I might have overlooked something. Could those active on #opensuse-devel please speak up? ;-) Discuss... cheers, Sonja -- Sonja Krause-Harder (skh@suse.de) Research & Development SUSE Linux Products GmbH