--On 16 July 2009 15:27:53 +0100 Alain Williams <addw@???> wrote:
> I think that it would be very helpful if we were to prepare some kind
> of outline on what we would like to achieve. I'll chuck in a few
> suggestions to get the ball rolling:
>
> * Bug fixes - how we prioritise
>
> * Enhancements - what new features do we need
>
> * External changes - should we collect/merge back in ?
> I am thinking of changes that Linux-distros/... may have made.
>
> * Funding - could we pursuade some large corporates/... with a bit of
> funding that could be used to pay someone to do this -- perhaps part
> time.
Clearly, funding (if achievable in the current climate) is going to make
the biggest difference, but we should also consider some other ways to
attract new developers, and new users (who may contribute):
* Easing the development process. I'm not a developer myself, so I'm not
sure what the technical barriers to involvement are.
* Marketing/Promotion: improving uptake of Exim might enlarge the potential
pool of developers, and of funding. The last research I saw put Exim behind
about 10 - 20% of MX hosts, which is great. We should trumpet that. An
overhaul of the web site, or an additional site, would be an option.
* Advertising: how about we put a link in every 5xx reply message. The link
would go to an Exim hosted page explaining (as far as we can) the cause of
the rejection. The root of the URL should be customisable, so that
administrators can point to their own web pages instead. Of course, we
could provide the default content for those pages, too. While we're at it,
we could meet one of the lemonade spec requirements by adding RFC2034
enhanced error codes. So far, that's just a feature request for improved
rejection messages, but all of the Exim hosted web pages could carry
advertising, and all of the default pages could carry promotional messages
for Exim, OSS concepts, etc.
* Improving ease of use (installation, configuration, queue management,
reporting)
* Auto-reporting. ClamAV, for example, can be configured to send
statistical reports to developers. That lets them track malware traffic and
use of ClamAV automatically. Exim is in a position to do the same, perhaps
reporting stats on traffic volumes, spam patterns, technology penetration,
etc. Perhaps that counts as a feature request, but it could also have some
mileage with regard to promotion. Care should be taken to protect privacy,
of course.
> I nominate Niall & myself as scribes of the event -- to try and get some
> kind of report out to this list/whereever.
>
> --
> Alain Williams
> Linux/GNU Consultant - Mail systems, Web sites, Networking, Programmer,
> IT Lecturer. +44 (0) 787 668 0256 http://www.phcomp.co.uk/
> Parliament Hill Computers Ltd. Registration Information:
> http://www.phcomp.co.uk/contact.php Past chairman of UKUUG:
> http://www.ukuug.org/
># include <std_disclaimer.h>
--
Ian Eiloart
IT Services, University of Sussex
01273-873148 x3148
For new support requests, see
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/help/
