[BRLTTY] webforom->mail gateway

[Jason White]

On Sun, Sep 30, 2007 at 08:24:02PM +0200, Sébastien Hinderer wrote:
> This is a slightly off-topic question, but maybe not completely.
> Is it possible to find an interface that would allow an access to a
> webforum as if it were a classical mailing-list ?

I don't like Web fora (or, as they are sometimes called, Web "forums", which
is the wrong plural anyway) at all, as each has its own HTML interface, and
often these interfaces are vastly inferior to what a good mail or news reader
would provide.

In general, what you are asking for doesn't exist, since it would have to be
written or adapted for each application that creates a Web forum. However, for
an excellent example of what knowledgeable software developers can create, try
visiting http://www.gmane.org/

This service converts mailing lists into Web fora, but also into NNTP
newsgroups, where they can be read with Gnus, Slrn, Trn, Pine, or any other
news reader. Have a look at nntp://news.gmane.org/ for example.

As I remember, this mailing list isn't subscribed to gmane.org, so you can't
access it as a newsgroup. Note that if you post to one of the newsgroups on
gmane.org, your post will be forwarded to the corresponding mailing list, but
on the first occasion that you post, you will be sent e-mail asking for
confirmation as a spam protection measure.

If it were easier for operators of Web fora to provide NNTP in addition to
HTML interfaces, I think this would be helpful for accessibility, as the user
could then choose a news reader with the capabilities and user interface that
meet her or his needs and preferences.