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Mailing lists

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Much of the work that makes Ubuntu a success happens on mailing lists.

You can subscribe to a list in normal or digest mode, or review the archives for past discussions.Please read through some of the guidelines below when using the mailing lists. The full list of Ubuntu mailing lists can be found at lists.ubuntu.com and on Gmane as gmane.linux.ubuntu.

There is local language support information for mailing lists and internet relay chat (IRC) channels for non-English speaking users.

Announcement-only lists

User lists

The ubuntu-users list is where most technical support discussions occur, and where users of Ubuntu meet to discuss new features and ideas they would like to see in Ubuntu. NB: this is a very high-traffic mailing list, generating around 200 messages a day. If you want to avoid a full inbox, try the Ubuntu web forums.

Developer lists

Mailing list etiquette

These guidelines are designed to keep the productivity of the Ubuntu mailing lists at a high level. They represent the conventions currently used by the majority of participants in the mailing lists, and should be used as a frame of reference for mailing list etiquette.

Summary

Code of Conduct

The Ubuntu Code of Conduct governs all interaction within the Ubuntu community. Because mailing lists form an integral part of that interaction, it is especially important to bear the Code of Conduct in mind at all times. Mailing list users should read the Code of Conduct in full, and if possible, should digitally sign a copy .

Fundamental aspects of the Code of Conduct relevant to mailing lists include:

Topic

Every mailing list deals with a specific subject matter (a topic). It is important to limit discussion to that topic so that the mailing list remains productive. When writing to mailing lists, bear in mind that your email may be sent to hundreds of people, who have signed up to the mailing list for a specific reason, or interest. Avoid subjects which are not relevant to the individual mailing list, and each time you write an email, consider its relevance for the mailing list in question. A good rule of thumb is that each email should contribute positively to a relevant discussion.

Specific examples:

Technical guidelines

Proper quoting:

Proper quoting is very important on mailing lists, to ensure that it is easy to follow the conversation. There are four fundamental rules:

HTML mail

Avoid sending emails in HTML format, if possible. Some people may find it more difficult to read or reply to these emails. Also, HTML email takes up more space, so people with restricted Internet access will be happier to receive plain text emails.

Threading

Many users read mailing lists by the thread. This means that when reading, emails are placed in a tree structure according to the subject. For an example, see this page . To permit this, email clients identify messages by a special hidden 'header' of the message. To assist those who read mailing lists in this way:

Changing the subject

When a reply takes the email away from the original subject, change the subject line in your email. This helps people reading the mailing list to identify the most relevant emails for them.

When changing the subject, keep the original subject in brackets. For example, if the original subject was 'Ubuntu rocks', your subject should be 'Ubuntu could be made better (was Ubuntu rocks)'.

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