On Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 3:40 PM, jidanni@jidanni.org wrote:
Thank you everybody for your comments. Pipermail is fine, if you would only let Google™ index it. Every mailing list in the world occasionally sees the accidental slip of the cut and paste finger, and the need for an administrator to remove the spilled beans, which he should then do. But there is no need to not let Google index it. When we think search, we think Google. I hate proprietary software, and RMS http://jidanni.org/comp/index.html#rms is my idol, but when I think search, I think Google, and will not remember to use a special search for a special list. I end up reposting this thread every time I realize I can't find something again due to someone's arbitrary decision, so this time Cc'd jwales to perhaps get a second arbitrary opinion. Anyway, you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and as you mention the stuff is mostly in Google indirectly anyway, why do this crippleware concept of not letting it be indexed? Also no need to reinvent the wheel of a substitute search engine... OK to have it alongside Google, but don't block Google. There are a lot of tools, noindex, nofollow, just don't block entirely. OK, maybe you all operate on some higher logic.
P.S., if removing a message will cause renumbering, just leave a stub message.
I have an idea, put a message on each subscription page, and post to all subscribers: "Starting 9.9.2009 all lists will once again be open to indexing in Google™. This means due to Mediawiki.org ranking, anything you say can and will end up at the top of search engine results, you have been warned."
Tim, good job finding that. I in fact long ago have given up on searching for anything related to these mailing lists.
If you have such a huge crush on Google then use Gmail to search these lists. You've already been shown how to import the list archives.