Appropriate use of the Common-Lisp mailing list

[Kent M Pitman <KMP@STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM>]

The mailing list Common-Lisp@SAIL.STANFORD.EDU was created as a
communication path between the Common-Lisp designers. Since its
creation, a number of `outsiders' have asked to be added and the list
has grown to enormous proportions.

While we have allowed such `auditing' of this discussion, and while such
`auditors' have occassionally contributed usefully to the discussion,
please keep in mind that every message sent to this list takes a large
amount of CPU time on dozens of machines to deliver, a large amount of
disk space to deliver and archive, and ultimately reaches hundreds of
people, most of whom are probably very busy.

I don't wish to sound elitist, but this list is of little value to me or
the other Common-Lisp designers if the quality of conversation which
crosses it is not very high. It is not intended as a free consulting
service for us to bring novices up to speed; we just don't have the time.

If you think you have something to "contribute" but you've never
implemented a lisp or you don't have many years of experience in
serious Lisp programming, please think twice or talk it over with an
expert before asking a question of this large community which could as
easily have been answered by an individual. You can save the community
much time, disk space, work, and ultimately money -- and you can save
yourself some embarrassment.

Thanks very much for your time and cooperation.
 -kmp