misc documentation updates

[public-inbox.git] / README

diff --git a/README b/README
index 71643dcc05d076de6f6732e30995ba1039961ecd..d5ff11824b3a7e857bf5502e45cfedbb17b08fae 100644 (file)
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -1,68 +1,82 @@
-public-inbox - shared mailboxes via git for public discussion
--------------------------------------------------------------
-
-public-inbox implements the sharing of an email inbox to complement or
-replace traditional mailing lists for public discussion.  public-inbox
-is primarily intended as a Free, distributed (but not yet decentralized)
-public communications tool for users and developers of Free and Open
-Source Software.  public-inbox should be easy-to-deploy and manage;
-encouraging software projects to run their own instances with minimal
-overhead.
+public-inbox - an "archives first" approach to mailing lists
+------------------------------------------------------------
+public-inbox implements the sharing of an email inbox via git to
+complement or replace traditional mailing lists.  Readers may
+subscribe to a mailing list using ssoma[1] (a git-wrapper) to
+import email from a git repository into an IMAP folder, Maildir,
+or mbox.  Readers may also read via Atom feeds and HTML archives.
+
+public-inbox spawned around three main ideas:
+
+* Publically accessible and archived communication is essential to
+  Free and Open Source development.
+* Contributing to Free and Open Source projects should not require the
+  use of non-Free/non-Open Source services or software.
+* Graphical user interfaces should not be required for text-based
+  communication.
+
+public-inbox aims to be easy-to-deploy and manage; encouraging projects
+to run their own instances with minimal overhead.

 
 Implementation
 --------------
 public-inbox uses ssoma[1], Some Sort Of Mail Archiver which implements
 no policy of its own.  By exposing an inbox via git, readers may follow
 
 Implementation
 --------------
 public-inbox uses ssoma[1], Some Sort Of Mail Archiver which implements
 no policy of its own.  By exposing an inbox via git, readers may follow

-the mailing list without subscribing and have easy access to historical
+the inbox without subscribing via SMTP and have easy access to old

 messages.
 
 messages.
 

-Traditional mailing lists use the "push" model.  List servers deliver
-content via SMTP to other mail servers used by readers of the mailing
-list.  For readers, this requires commitment to subscribe to the list
-and extra effort to unsubscribe.  Readers may also have difficulty
-following discussions which started before they joined if archives do
-not expose Message-Id headers for responses.  For list server admins,
-this also burdens them with bounce/failure messages for bad/invalid
-addresses.
+Traditional mailing lists use the "push" model.  For readers, this
+requires commitment to subscribe and effort to unsubscribe.  New readers
+may also have difficulty following existing discussions if archives do
+not expose Message-ID headers for responses.  List server admins may be
+burdened with delivery failures.

 
 public-inbox uses the "pull" model.  Readers import mail into an mbox,
 
 public-inbox uses the "pull" model.  Readers import mail into an mbox,

-Maildir, or IMAP folder from the git repositories periodically.  If a
-reader loses interest, they simply stop syncing.  Since ssoma uses git,
-mirrors are easy-to-setup, and lists are easy-to-relocate to different
-mail addresses without losing/splitting archives.  Readers only need
-to install ssoma, a command-line tool[1] currently implemented in Perl.
+Maildir, or IMAP folder from git repositories periodically.  If a reader
+loses interest, they simply stop syncing.  Since we use git, mirrors are
+easy-to-setup, and lists are easy-to-relocate to different mail
+addresses without losing/splitting archives.  Dedicated readers only
+need to install ssoma, a command-line tool[1] currently implemented in
+Perl.
+
+Casual readers may also follow the list via Atom feed or web archives.

 
 

-Readers may also follow the list via Atom feed.
+_Anybody_ may also setup a delivery-only mailing list server to replay
+a public-inbox git archive to subscribers via SMTP.

 
 [1] http://ssoma.public-inbox.org/
 
 Features
 --------
 
 [1] http://ssoma.public-inbox.org/
 
 Features
 --------

-* stores email in git, so readers have a full history of the mailing list
+* anybody may participate via plain-text email
+* stores email in git, readers have a complete archive of the inbox

 * Atom feed allows casual readers to follow via feed reader
 * Mail user-agent (MUA) users may use Maildir, mbox(5) and/or IMAP locally
 * uses only well-documented and easy-to-implement data formats
 
 * Atom feed allows casual readers to follow via feed reader
 * Mail user-agent (MUA) users may use Maildir, mbox(5) and/or IMAP locally
 * uses only well-documented and easy-to-implement data formats
 

+Try it out now, see http://try.public-inbox.org/
+

 Requirements (Atom, read-only client)
 -------------------------------------
 * any feed reader capable of following Atom feeds
 
 Requirements (Atom, read-only client)
 -------------------------------------
 * any feed reader capable of following Atom feeds
 

-Requirements (server MDA)
--------------------------
-* git
-* MTA - postfix is recommended
-* Perl and several modules:
-    - Email::Filter
-    - XML::Atom::SimpleFeed
-* Ssoma - currently a Perl module
-* SpamAssassin (optional, recommended)
-* any HTTP server (optional, for serving Atom feed)
+Any basic web browser will do for the HTML archives.
+
+Requirements (participant)
+--------------------------
+* ssoma - http://ssoma.public-inbox.org/
+* any MUA which may send text-only emails ("git send-email" works!)
+* participants do not need to install public-inbox, only server admins
+
+Requirements (server)
+---------------------
+See http://public-inbox.org/INSTALL

 
 Hacking
 -------
 Source code is available via git:
 
 
 Hacking
 -------
 Source code is available via git:
 

-       git clone git://bogomips.org/public-inbox
+       git clone git://80x24.org/public-inbox

 
 See below for contact info.
 
 
 See below for contact info.
 


@@ -71,18 +85,18 @@ Contact
 We are happy to see feedback of all types via plain-text email.
 public-inbox discussion is self-hosting on public-inbox.org
 Please send comments, user/developer discussion, patches, bug reports,
 We are happy to see feedback of all types via plain-text email.
 public-inbox discussion is self-hosting on public-inbox.org
 Please send comments, user/developer discussion, patches, bug reports,

-and pull requests to our public-inbox.org address at:
+and pull requests to our public-inbox address at:

 
 

-       public-inbox@public-inbox.org
+       meta@public-inbox.org

 
 Please Cc: all recipients when replying as we do not require
 subscription.  This also makes it easier to rope in folks of
 
 Please Cc: all recipients when replying as we do not require
 subscription.  This also makes it easier to rope in folks of

-tangentially related projects we depend on (e.g. git developers on
-git@vger.kernel.org).
+tangentially related projects we depend on (e.g. git developers
+on git@vger.kernel.org).

 
 

-You can subscribe via ssoma(1), LISTNAME is a name of your choosing:
+You may subscribe via ssoma(1), LISTNAME is a name of your choosing:

 
 

-    URL=git://git.public-inbox.org/public-inbox
+    URL=git://public-inbox.org/meta

     LISTNAME=public-inbox
 
     # to initialize a maildir (this may be a new or existing maildir,
     LISTNAME=public-inbox
 
     # to initialize a maildir (this may be a new or existing maildir,


@@ -99,8 +113,10 @@ You can subscribe via ssoma(1), LISTNAME is a name of your choosing:
     # your MUA may modify and delete messages from the maildir or mbox,
     # this does not affect ssoma functionality at all
 
     # your MUA may modify and delete messages from the maildir or mbox,
     # this does not affect ssoma functionality at all
 

-    # to sync all your ssoma subscriptions
-    ssoma sync
+    # to sync all your ssoma subscriptions via cronjob
+    ssoma sync --cron
+
+HTML inbox archives are available: http://public-inbox.org/meta/

 
 Anti-Spam
 ---------
 
 Anti-Spam
 ---------


@@ -118,8 +134,8 @@ in ssoma.
 Content Filtering
 -----------------
 To discourage phishing, web bugs (tracking), viruses and other nuisances,
 Content Filtering
 -----------------
 To discourage phishing, web bugs (tracking), viruses and other nuisances,

-only plain-text content is allowed by default and non-text content is
-stripped.  This saves I/O bandwidth and storage, which is important as
+only plain-text content is allowed and non-text content is stripped.
+This saves I/O bandwidth and storage, which is important as

 entire mail archives are shared between clients.
 
 As of the 2010s, successful online social networks and forums are the
 entire mail archives are shared between clients.
 
 As of the 2010s, successful online social networks and forums are the


@@ -128,7 +144,7 @@ aims to preserve the focus on content, and not presentation.
 
 Copyright
 ---------
 
 Copyright
 ---------

-Copyright 2013, Eric Wong <normalperson@yhbt.net> and all contributors.
+Copyright 2013-2015, all contributors <meta@public-inbox.org>

 License: AGPLv3 or later <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.txt>
 
 This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 License: AGPLv3 or later <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.txt>
 
 This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify