Private email addresses

[Andy Rudoff]

> When reading the archives at the top of each post is a link with the 
> authours email address. Clicking this link one does not write a letter 
> to the author, but a post to pianotech. 
> 
> I just acidently sent a post to pianotech this way.  Why is the list set 
> up this way.  It would seem to me that if one is to include the senders 
> email address as a mailto:link in the first place, it should go to the 
> sender... and not pianotech.

The Mailman software is trying to "obscure" the email address so that
spammers who harvest email addresses by scanning web pages are less
likely find your address.  If clicking the link went to you, it would
mean that the web page would contain your correct email address and
harvesters would also find it.

I didn't write the code, but that's my best guess at the logic behind
how it works.  My personal opinion is that writing the address as
something like "andy at rudoff dot com" does indeed keep away the
more stupid harvesting programs, but then making it a link probably
doesn't make any sense, for the exact reason you brought up.

Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience.

-andy