Forums at postgresql.com.au

Hi,

I was told this was the most appropriate mailing list to ask - previously discussed on pgsql-general.

http://forums.postgresql.com.au

Recently I registered the domain name postgresql.com.au in the hope of starting up the first and only dedicated postgresql forums. After much back and forth it was decided that a forum would only work if it were integrally tied with the mailing list. So that's what I've done.

I have written scripts that allow the seamless integration between the mailing lists and forums, with the following features;
1. All mailing list posts are converted from email form to a forums post real time retaining the timestamps, email poster, etc.
2. Users are automatically created on the forum as they appear on the mailing list.
3. Any topic created or post made on the forum sends an email back to the mailing list after conversion, bbcode removal etc. Emails have spoofed message-id and in-reply-to IDs to allow thread grouping like real emails from the mailing list.
4. Any archived mbox can be loaded in and is fully back dated so that a user shows as signing up from their first visible post as well as all their subsequent posts.
5. Conversion between the forums and mailing lists retain the quotations ("Bob Smith said ...", etc)

In simple terms this means "A thread can be started on the mailing list or forum. A thread can then be replied on from either the mailing list, forum or mixture of both. The mailing list people never need to log into the forum and visa versa through seamless integration of the two mediums."

The concept and completed model works very well but with one concern. As the mailing list will only accept mail coming from a subscribed address it is not possible to use a persons forum sign up email as who the email is being sent from (the mailing list would reject this obviously.) As no one knows of an API than can be used to register a persons address without confirming that address by email the only solution is to use a subscribed generic email with the persons name;

For example as I'm posting to the mailing list now, my From shows as:
Elliot Chance <elliotchance(at)gmail(dot)com>

However if I had signed up to the forum (and not the mailing list) my From would have to be subscribed for the mailing list to accept it like:
Elliot Chance <forums(at)postgresql(dot)com(dot)au>
John Smith <forums(at)postgresql(dot)com(dot)au>
... etc.

OK, so after a brief background I'd like to organise a solution. Without any other feasible option would this generic address system be allowed?

I should also point out that the conversions scripts take the persons name but hide their email behind the forum. I have made sure nothing is publicly available that is not already indexed by Google - nobody has objected so far but I can understand how this issue is sensitive to some people.

- Elliot