How to make .qmail-lists private

Qmail allows mail lists in user's home folder, such as .qmail-newsletter. I
have created and used these lists, but I notice it enables anyone, from
anywhere, to email that .qmail list. Is there a way I can create a list ONLY
I can email to, and only I receive any replies? Without installing a mail
list manager?

"Bob Meyers" <oregonbob2000 at yahoo.com> writes:

> Qmail allows mail lists in user's home folder, such as .qmail-newsletter. I
> have created and used these lists, but I notice it enables anyone, from
> anywhere, to email that .qmail list. Is there a way I can create a list ONLY
> I can email to, and only I receive any replies? Without installing a mail
> list manager?

Sure. In the list's .qmail file, say .qmail-mylist, put something like
the following:

|condredirect bob-mylist-incoming $HOME/bin/notfromme
user@example.com
joe@mail.example.net
president@whitehouse.gov
etc.

Then, in $HOME/bin/notfromme:

#!/bin/sh

if grep "From: Bob Myers" >/dev/null
then
exit 1
else
exit 0
fi

Mail to bob-mylist will be piped to $HOME/bin/notfromme, which will
return "false" if the message contains the string "From: Bob Myers"
and "true" if it doesn't. If notfromme returns true, the message will
be delivered to bob-mylist-incoming, which can be handled with
..qmail-mylist-incoming. If notfromme returns false, the message will
be sent to list of addresses that follows.

Of course, that "notfromme" is very simplistic--it'll match some
replies that include a copy of a message from you, for example. It's
also easily spoofable by anyone who knows the secret. You might want
to install DJB'S mess822 package (see
http://www.apress.com/article/articl...ay.html?aID=14) and use
something like:

if 822field from | grep oregonbob2000 >/dev/null

or:

if 822field received | grep -v SMTP >/dev/null

(The former looks for oregonbob2000 in the From field, the latter
looks for locally-injected messages...i.e., not received via SMTP.)

--
Dave Sill Oak Ridge National Lab, Workstation Support
Author, The qmail Handbook <http://web.infoave.net/~dsill>
<http://lifewithqmail.org/>: Almost everything you always wanted to know.