Information about the 4D Tech Mailing List <4D_Tech@lists.4D.com>,
4D Biz Mailing List <4D_Biz@lists.4D.com>, and
4D Pub Mailing List <4D_Pub@lists.4D.com>
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                           4D Mailing List FAQ
 
 
   TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
      * What is the 4D iNUG and the 4D Mailing List?
      * 4D Mailing List FAQ Distribution
      * 4D iNUG Volunteers and Benefactors
      * Normal (Individual Messages) vs Digest
      * Overview of Important Email Addresses
      * Subscribing
      * Unsubscribing
      * Using a Local Redistribution List
      * Changing Your Subscribed Email Address
      * Posting Messages
      * *** 4D Mailing List Rules -- REQUIRED READING!!! ***
      * Reasons for Bounced Email
      * Reasons to be Automatically Unsubscribed
      * Why am I getting duplicate email?
      * Why am I NOT getting any email?
      * My emails to the list are not showing up, what can i do?
      * 4D iNUG Web Server
      * Third Party 4D iNUG Message Archives and Utilities
      * Copyright Policies
      * Feedback
 
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   What is the 4D iNUG and the 4D Mailing List?
 
   The 4th Dimension Internet Users Group (4D iNUG) provides an Internet
   forum for users and developers of the 4th Dimension RAD / RDBMS
   (relational and Web database environment for Macintosh and Windows) to
   exchange ideas and techniques, discuss problems and solutions, swap code
   fragments, announce 4D jobs and products, and basically help each other
   out.
 
   The 4D iNUG sponsors three mailing lists. The first two lists are also
   referred to collectively as the 4D Mailing List.
 
      * The 4D Tech Mailing List is the primary vehicle for communication
        and support among 4D netizens worldwide. This list is specifically
        for technical discussions about the 4D environment, as well as
        announcements for 4D-related jobs, products, services, and events.
 
      * The 4D Biz Mailing List covers mostly non-technical discussions of
        interest to the 4D developer community such as licensing issues,
        running a business, the bidding process, documentation, and
        copyrights. Technical discussions that are off-topic or have become
        off-topic on the 4D Tech Mailing List can also be further discussed
        on this list.
 
      * The 4D Pub Mailing List is an informal forum for 4D netizens to
        hang out with each other, chit chat, plan / announce IRL (in real
        life) get-togethers with fellow 4D netizens, and just have fun!
 
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   4D Mailing List FAQ Distribution
 
   The latest version of the 4D Mailing List FAQ which applies to all
   4D iNUG-sponsored mailing lists is available:
 
      * Via the web at http://lists.4D.com/faqnug.html
 
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   Normal (Individual Messages) vs Digest
 
   4D iNUG maintains four "subscriber" versions for each of its mailing
   lists:
 
     1. "Normal" version -- subscribers receive the individual messages as
        they are posted.
 
     2. "Digest" version -- subscribers receive the individual messages
         periodically each day in batches for the 4D Tech Mailing List / 4D 
	Biz Mailing List / 4D Pub Mailing List respectively, and when the 
	digest grows to at least 30K in size).  Subscribers to the Digest 
	version are able to choose to receive the messages as either
	plain text or MIME messages.
 
   Note: The 4D Tech Mailing List is generally heavy in volume at times
   (approximately 60+ messages/day), so I would recommend at least
   subscribing to the 4D Tech Digest version at first.
 
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
   Overview of Important Email Addresses
 
   The following addresses are used to manage and operate these lists:
 
     1. 4D_Tech@lists.4D.com, 
	4D_Biz@lists.4D.com and
	4D_Pub@lists.4D.com -- for posting to the lists
 
     2. 4D_Tech-Join@lists.4D.com, 
	4D_Biz-Join@lists.4D.com and
	4D_Pub-Join@lists.4D.com -- for subscribing to the lists.
 
     3. 4D_Tech-Leave@lists.4D.com, 
	4D_Biz-Leave@lists.4D.com and
	4D_Pub-Leave@lists.4D.com -- for unsubscribing from the lists
 
     4. 4D_Tech-Owner@lists.4D.com, 
	4D_Biz-Owner@lists.4D.com and
	4D_Pub-Owner@lists.4D.com -- for contacting the List Moderators.
 
     5. 4D_Tech-Requests@lists.4D.com, 
	4D_Biz-Requests@lists.4D.com and
	4D_Pub-Requests@lists.4D.com -- for sending special commands
	such as help.
 
     6. listadmin@4d.com -- for contacting the list admin with your
	comments, questions, and problems regarding the mailing lists.


   ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Subscribing

      To subscribe, either send an email to one of the following: 4D_Tech-Join@lists.4D.com 4D_Biz-Join@lists.4d.com 4D_Pub-Join@lists.4D.com


Or navigate to https://lists.4D.com/mailman/listinfo page and follow the instructions on the page.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Unsubscribing      Email your unsubscribe request to one of the following unsubscribe    accounts for automated processing by the Mailman list server. Leave    the body of the message blank.         * To unsubscribe from EITHER the 4D Tech Mailing List OR the 4D Tech         Digest, send email:                To: 4D_Tech-Leave@lists.4D.com         * To unsubscribe from EITHER the 4D Biz Mailing List OR the 4D Biz         Digest, send email:                To: 4D_Biz-Leave@lists.4D.com         * To unsubscribe from EITHER the 4D Pub Mailing List OR the 4D Pub         Digest, send email:                To: 4D_Pub-Leave@lists.4D.com      The list server is very particular about the address in your FROM mail    header (or the REPLY-TO) matching the address you originally subscribed    under EXACTLY in order to process your unsubscribe request    automatically. For example, kalena@kalena.com and karen_sabog@kalena.com    which both point to the same account are considered two different    addresses by the list server.       If you are having difficulty in unsubscribing or no longer have access    to unsubscribe from your old or defunct email account, you need to email    listadmin@4d.com with all the possible variations of your email    address to look for so that it can be manually removed.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Using a Local Redistribution List      If you are interested in using a local redistribution list (aka mail    exploder) such as 4d-gurus@your_company.com, then have the list owner    submit a subscribe request from the redistribution list account. If you    need assistance in subscribing or unsubscribing a local redistribution    list, then email listadmin@4d.com along with the name of the list    owner to manually process your request.      If you are RECEIVING messages via a local redistribution list AND you    wish to POST a message, you have the following options:         * Subscribe your individual email address instead.         * Use the Reply-To mail header with the address of your local         redistribution list so that your post will be accepted.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Changing Your Subscribed Email Address      To switch email addresses, please log into your options page by navigating

to https://lists.4d.com/mailman/options/[listname]/[your_email_address] and enter the  new address into the "New address" and "Again to confirm" fields then  click the "Change My Address and Name" button.

  

   NOTE that a confirmation email will be sent to the new email address, and the change

must be confirmed before it is processed.


   DO NOT ask me to modify your email address manually. It is to your    benefit to go through the Options page so that you are aware of the     process for modifying your subscription options.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Posting Messages      Once you have received confirmation of your subscription, send email as    follows to ONLY ONE of the appropriate lists. DO NOT CROSSPOST YOUR    MESSAGES!!!         * To: 4D Tech Mailing List <4D_Tech@lists.4D.com>         Subject: Insert_Brief_Meaningful_Subject_Here         * To: 4D Biz Mailing List <4D_Biz@lists.4D.com>         Subject: Insert_Brief_Meaningful_Subject_Here         * To: 4D Pub Mailing List <4D_Pub@lists.4D.com>         Subject: Insert_Brief_Meaningful_Subject_Here      Your email address MUST MATCH a subscriber on either the list or digest    version EXACTLY in order to successfully POST a message. For example,    kalena@kalena.com and karen_sabog@kalena.com which both point to the    same account are considered two different addresses by the list server.    If you are receiving messages via a mail exploder such as    4d-gurus@your_company.com, see the section "Using a Local Redistribution    List" for posting options.      NOTE: Particularly for digest subscribers, please remember to edit the    SUBJECT line for your replies with the pertinent subject thread so that    replies are NOT, e.g., "Re: 4D Tech Digest"; otherwise, your message    will not be processed.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      *** 4D Mailing List Rules -- REQUIRED READING!!! ***         * Under no circumstance should you ever asperse the character of         another member of this list. This applies toward other         developers, employees of ACI or any of it's customers that may         participate in these forums. Injurious direct or indirect         attacks between list participants will not be tolerated.         * This is *NOT* an anonymous list. Your REAL FULL NAME should be         displayed along with your email address in the FROM mail header of         your posts (preferably) or at least signed in the body of the         message. If you are using proprietary software (e.g., AOL) which         does not have this feature or have a mail admin who is unable to         configure your mail server (e.g., Lotus Notes) with your name         attached to your email address, then sign your real name in the         body of the message.         * Newly subscribed members may NOT participate or start topics which may be controversial. The degree to which each member may contribute to a controversial topic is relative to their historic standing within the community and iNUG forums. Only members who have  established themselves as part of this technical community through  their past questions or answers will have earned a greater degree of free expression.         * Please reserve the use of the REPLY-TO mail header ONLY if your         address is DIFFERENT from that displayed in the FROM mail header.         Also, the REPLY-TO mail header is generated AS IS (in some email         clients), so you will need to manually enter BOTH your real name         and address when configuring this field in your email preferences,         e.g.,                REPLY-TO: Karen Sabog         * Please make sure that your email date and time are GLOBALLY-CORRECT         so that your messages will display, sort, and thread in         chronological order no matter what time zone your fellow         subscribers retrieve mail in. SEND YOURSELF A TEST MESSAGE and         check if the DATE mail header in your messages is appending the         appropriate GMT or UTC offset, e.g., "-0700" or "PDT" for Pacific         Daylight Savings Time. Remember to FIRST set the time zone and         daylight savings settings, THEN set/recheck the date and time         (ESPECIALLY if you have just changed either the time zone and/or         daylight savings settings). Mac users can adjust this via the Date         & Time and/or Map control panels; Windows users can edit the         Date/Time control panel, TZ environment variable, or time zone         setting in some email packages. Please verify your date/time         settings periodically especially when daylight savings goes in and         out of effect, when you install system software, or if you zap your         Mac's PRAM. Search the Web for client software that can synchronize         to an NTP (network time protocol) server such as time.nist.gov.         Related time zone links include:           http://www.time.gov         http://www.worldtimezone.com         http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/tzones.html         http://www.bsdi.com/date         * Please make the SUBJECT line of your email concise and descriptive,         e.g., "4D WhizBang Product 4.0 Shipping" rather than just stating         "New Product" or something emotional like "I'm going nuts!"         * When posting a reply to a message, only include the RELEVANT TEXT         needed for your answer to make sense. Do not forward the entire         original message. Remove any extraneous mail headers (e.g.,         X-Sender, Received, Mime-Version, Content-Type, Precedence), the         original author's signature, and the 4D iNUG footer which is         automatically appended to every message.         * Digest subscribers should reply to individual messages in the         digest as separate posts rather than a batch of replies in one         post.         * If replying to an individual message in the digest version, please         edit the SUBJECT line of your email to reflect the message you are         actually replying to (preceded by "Re: ") so that the thread can be         followed.         * When composing email (this includes your mail headers and         signatures), please make sure that you are using only the 7-bit         US-ASCII character set. The US-ASCII character set means just         character codes 0-127 (decimal), i.e., no characters like bullets,         curly quotes, em and en dashes, non-breaking spaces, and characters         with diacritical marks. This will ensure that all recipients on         this international mailing list will see your message as intended         rather than having some of the mailers spewing out strange         character sequences. Eudora users can do this by disabling         quoted-printable encoding. Also, mail systems not capable of         receiving 8-bit characters will cause messages to bounce back to         the list admin.         * Keep each line of your message to about 70 characters per line (use         a monospace font with hard returns) to avoid splitting into two         lines on some mailers and also to avoid splitting if used in a         reply. This is especially a good idea if creating any tables so         that the columns line up.         * Please keep your signature short -- the end portion of your email         where you might contribute your name, phone number, address, ASCII         art, favorite quote, philosophy, etc. Short here means 5 to 6 lines         max including white space! Indicate your Web site if you have one         for more information. Anyone with a long signature risks being         automatically unsubscribed. This is a mailing list; not your         personal vehicle for self-promotion.         * DO NOT send auto-reply messages like those used when you are away         on vacation or out of the office. I suggest that you temporarily         disable mail delivery from the list, then re-enable it upon your return.   This can be accomplished by setting the "Mail Delivery" option to "Disabled" in you user options page.         * DO NOT send HTML-formatted messages or styled (aka enriched) text         messages. Make sure to send your messages in PLAIN TEXT. If the         Mailman mail server is unable to obtain plain-text copy from         your message, it will not be posted to the list.         * This is an International English-speaking mailing list. Please post         your messages in ENGLISH or provide an ENGLISH TRANSLATION.         * DO NOT crosspost your messages to more than one 4D iNUG mailing         list.         * DO NOT send test messages to the list. You should contact         listadmin@4d.com for assistance or send a message to the List          Moderators (see above section titled: Important Email Addresses)         * Any off-topic posts should be prefaced with "[OFF]" or "[OFF         TOPIC]" in the SUBJECT line. These posts should be kept to a         minimum.         * All messages, especially those with differing views and opinions,         should be written in a constructive manner that is conducive for         discussion. NO FLAMES!!!         * Practice NETIQUETTE...mentioned again to reinforce this important         point.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Reasons for Bounced Email      Receiving bounced email messages is inevitable on the Internet and can    happen for some of the following reasons: system or network down, name    server timeout, mailbox full (some users DO have mail and/or disk    quotas), mail loops, user unknown, host unknown, server configuration    problems, too many hops, ISP running anti-spam software, etc. Sometimes    the error messages may not adequately explain the problem, be diagnosed    incorrectly, or even be obscure. The majority of these problems are    temporary and in most cases you will probably just want to go ahead and    delete these messages (at your discretion, of course!).      As the admin for this high-traffic mailing list, I usually get hundreds    of bounced messages almost every day since there is always some sort of    burp occurring on the Internet or a server is down, even if only    temporarily. I usually try to wait a few days to monitor if the problem    resolves itself but may unsubscribe the offending email address sooner.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Reasons to be Automatically Unsubscribed      I will automatically unsubscribe users for the following reasons (not an    exhaustive list):         * Generating numerous bounced email         * Including the full digest version in replies         * Using auto-reply messages such as on vacation or out of the office         * Not complying with the list rules and/or the list administrator's         request(s)         * Posting too many off-topic messages         * Offensive and/or inappropriate language         * Lengthy signature         * Posting test messages to the list. You should contact         listadmin@4d.com for assistance or send a message to the List         Moderators.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Why am I getting duplicate email?      If you are subscribed to the list and your email address is also listed    as a recipient in the TO, CC, or BCC fields for a particular message,    then you may receive duplicate messages.  There is an option in the    User Options page that tells the server to prevent duplicates.      You may also receive bounced email messages that appear to be duplicates    as a result of posting a message to the list. Look at the mail headers    first before becoming alarmed about getting any duplicates. In some    instances, some of you were subscribed under more than one address.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Why am I NOT getting any email?      Here are the most common reasons:         * Your email is bouncing; however, your address is still subscribed         to the list. You can always try resubscribing to test if your are         still subscribed to the list. The list server will not subscribe         your address again if it is already in the subscriber database.         * Your subscription has been disabled due to bounced messages. If this is the case, the Mailman server should have [tried to] email

you with          * Your email address has been removed by the list admin.         * The list server is down or unreachable. You can ping or perform a         traceroute to lists.4D.com to see if it is alive and/or send an         email command such as "help" to 4d_tech-requests@lists.4D.com to test if         the list server is processing messages. DO NOT SEND TEST MESSAGES         TO THE LIST!!!     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      My emails to the list are not showing up, what can i do?      Here are the most common reasons:         * Verify that your messages really are not showing up. One simple way         to do this is to check the archives at Nabble and or Gmane (links are         available on the List Server Home Page)         * Verify that your mail server has a Reverse DNS entry. If your mail         server does not have a Reverse DNS entry, commonly reffered to as a         PTR record, it is possible that our mail server thinks your messages         are spam and is rejecting them because of this. To request help in   troubleshooting this you can email listadmin@4D.com         * Your subscription has been disabled due to bounced messages. If this is the case, the Mailman server should have [tried to] email

you with instructions on how to reactivate your account.         * Your email address has been removed by the list admin.         * The list server is down or unreachable. You can ping or perform a         traceroute to lists.4D.com to see if it is alive and/or send an         email command such as "help" to 4d_tech-owner@lists.4D.com to test if         the list server is processing messages. DO NOT SEND TEST MESSAGES         TO THE LIST!!!     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Third Party 4D iNUG Message Archives and Utilities      Netizens in the 4D and Internet communities have graciously archived the    individual messages generated from the 4D Mailing List and created the    following resources with features such as keyword searching and    threading:         * http://news.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.inug-4d.tech -- 4D programmers          technical user group -- maintained by Gmane.         * http://www.nabble.com/4D-f15643.html -- 4D Tech, 4D Biz, 4D Pub, 4DBasics,       and 4D Plugins -- maintained by Nabble.


  ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Copyright Policies      All content generated by the 4D Tech Mailing List, 4D Biz Mailing List,    and 4D Pub Mailing List (normal and digest versions) are subject to the    following copyright policies:        1. The original author retains copyright.        2. Permission to redistribute must be granted. All approved resources         are listed in the "Third Party 4D Message Archives" section of the         4D Mailing List FAQ.        3. Commercial redistribution "for profit" is prohibited.     ------------------------------------------------------------------------      Feedback      Please feel free to send me your feedback and suggestions regarding    4D-related Internet resources available to the 4D community.      4D iNUG Admin    listadmin@4d.com    4th Dimension Internet Users Group (4D iNUG)                [---------------------------------------------------]              [ Based on the 4D Mailing List FAQ by Karen R Sabog ]                    Updated 22 March 2010 by listadmin@4d.com.