Re: LYNX-DEV Lynx Error in

[Klaus Weide]

On Mon, 9 Dec 1996, Larry W. Virden, x2487 wrote:

> Foteos Macrides <address@hidden> wrote
> 
> > address@hidden (Larry W. Virden, x2487) wrote:
> > >Can someone explain what this is all about?  I have been seeing an 
> > >increasing
> > >number of these msgs appear here.  Why?  Why should this list be notified
> > >when someone's web page is bad or a server is down?
> > 
> >     Read the self-documentation about SYSTEM_MAIL_ERROR_LOGGING in
> > userdefs.h and lynx.cfg, and look at the code under  case NOT_FOUND:
> > in LYMainLoop.c.  The symbol is FALSE by default, and the warning not
> > to change that should be taken to heart.

[...] 
> So it appears that some site has turned this on, so that email goes to
> owners all over the net.

A large number of those seem to be coming from file: URLs..
I.e. somebody has stored some old version of the Lynx docs on their
hard disk, over time some of those links become (of course) invalid
(like for example with Subir's move), but _we_ get notified (because
according to what's in those saved files, lynx-dev still "owns" them).
[Theretical question: do we have to expect a linear or exponential
increase of the number of those messages over time, as more files get
squirrelled away on disks, URLs move, and the Lynx population increases?]
It might make more sense if the mail would be sent to address@hidden
in the case of file: URLs.

> And lynx-dev mailing list must be listed as the owner of some of our
> FAQ or Help pages, I assume.
> 
> This brings up another similar question.  I have also seen an increase on
> lynx-dev of almost empty msgs, with the few which have contents seeming to
> think this is an address for test messages.

They look like from people who make their first steps on the Internet,
maybe not even understanding that they are using a browser or what
is the difference between sending mail with Lynx and leaving a message
on a BBS.  These seem to have increased at about the time when the page

   Linkname: Lynx Information
        URL: http://lynx.browser.org/
   Owner(s): mailto:address@hidden

appeared, with two mailto: URLs in a row, both pointing to lynx-dev, in
    
    * The Lynx developers communicate via an [3]email list called
       lynx-dev. These are [4]the people to ask if you have a Lynx
       related problem.

Well, in a way it shows that lynx.browser.org works.

  Klaus

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