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{{short description|Electronic mailing list software}} {{about|the specific software application|electronic mailing lists in general|Electronic mailing list}} {{Infobox Software | name = Listserv | logo = | screenshot = | caption = | collapsible = | author = Éric Thomas | developer = | released = {{Start date and age|1986}}<ref name=history>{{cite web | url=http://www.nic.funet.fi/index/FUNET/history/internet/en/1986.html | title=History of the Internet – 1986}}</ref> | latest release version = LISTSERV 17.5<ref name="ls_release">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lsoft.com/products/listserv_17.5.asp|title=New in LISTSERV 17.5|website=L-Soft}}</ref> | latest release date = {{Start date and age|2024|11|20}} | programming language = | operating system = | platform = [[Cross-platform]] | language = | genre = [[Mailing lists]] | license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] | website = {{URL|https://www.lsoft.com/products/listserv.asp}} }} The term '''Listserv''' (styled by the registered trademark licensee, L-Soft International, Inc., as '''LISTSERV''') has been used to refer to [[electronic mailing list]] software applications in general, but is more properly<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techterms.com/definition/listserv|title=LISTSERV Definition|website=techterms.com|access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref> applied to a few early instances of such software, which allows a sender to send one [[email]] to a list, which then transparently sends it on to the addresses of the subscribers to the list. The original Listserv software, the Bitnic Listserv (also known as BITNIC LISTSERV) (1984–1986), allowed mailing lists to be implemented on [[IBM]] VM [[Mainframe computer|mainframes]] and was developed by [[Ira Fuchs]], Daniel Oberst, and Ricky Hernandez in 1984. This mailing list service was known as Listserv@Bitnic (also known as LISTSERV@BITNIC) and quickly became a key service on the [[BITNET]] network. It provided functionality similar to a UNIX [[Sendmail]] alias and, as with Sendmail, subscriptions were managed manually. In 1986, Éric Thomas developed an independent application, originally named "Revised Listserv" (also known as "Revised LISTSERV"), which was the first automated mailing list management application. Prior to Revised Listserv, email lists were managed manually. To join or leave a list, people would write to a list administrator and ask to be added or removed, a process that became more time-consuming as discussion lists grew in popularity.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?A0=LSTSRV-L | title=Unedited archives of LSTSRV-L, LISTSERV site administrators' forum, July 1986–}}</ref> By 1987, the users of the Bitnic Listserv had migrated to Thomas' version. Listserv was freeware from 1986 through 1993 and is now a commercial product developed by L-Soft, a company founded by Thomas in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |first= Sam |last=Costello |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2001/TECH/industry/10/30/fsecure.email.idg/index.html | title=E-mail lists get virus protection |publisher=CNN |department=Sci-Tech |date=October 30, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lsoft.com/corporate/ericthomas_cv.asp | title=CV of Éric Thomas}}</ref> A free version limited to ten lists of up to 500 subscribers each can be downloaded from the company's web site.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lsoft.com/download/listservfree.asp |title=L-Soft web page with download links for the free version, ''LISTSERV Lite Free''|accessdate=12 April 2013}}</ref> Several other list-management tools were subsequently developed, such as Lyris ListManager in 1997 (now Aurea Email Marketing),<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-08-06 |title=Lyris |url=https://www.aurea.com/our-acquisitions/lyris/ |access-date=2022-04-25 |website=Aurea Software |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Sympa]] in 1997, [[GNU Mailman]] in 1998, and Gaggle<ref>{{Cite web |title=Best Listserv Alternative • Gaggle Mail |url=https://gaggle.email/listserv-alternative |access-date=2022-04-25 |website=gaggle.email}}</ref> in 2015. == Automated mailing list management == In 1986, Éric Thomas developed the concept of an automated mailing list manager. Whilst a student at [[École Centrale Paris]], he developed the software now known as LISTSERV.<ref name=history /> Some of the early software features allowed joining or leaving a list without the need for human administration. The list owner could also add or remove subscribers, and edit templates for both welcome and system messages. Amongst other innovations LISTSERV introduced double opt-in in 1993 and the first spam filter in 1995.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lsoft.com/corporate/history-listserv.asp | title=Listserv product history timeline}}</ref> After the release of Thomas' LISTSERV in 1986, LISTSERV@BITNIC was enhanced to provide automatic list management, but this enhancement was abandoned a few months later when Bitnic installed Thomas' LISTSERV.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.listserv.dfn.de/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind8701&L=NODMGT-L&P=R2&I=-3 | title=Bitnet Network Information Center announcement by Judith Molka on the NODMGT-L List, January 7, 1987 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Other than their name, Bitnic's and Thomas' products are unrelated and neither product is based on the other product's code.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lsoft.com/products/listserv-history.asp | title=History of LISTSERV@BITNIC and LISTSERV email list management software, 1985–1995}}</ref> Though [[electronic mailing lists]] (also known as "email lists") are not as popular as they once were, they survive due to their ease of use.<ref name="spectrum"/> == Trademark == LISTSERV was registered as a trademark with the [[U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]] in 1995, based on its use since 1986.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=registration&entry=2001258 | title=LISTSERV Trademark Registration at USPTO}}</ref> It was registered with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office, [[Swedish Patent and Registration Office|PRV]], in 2001.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.prv.se/ | title=PRV, the Swedish Patent and Registration Office}}</ref> As such, in those jurisdictions, using the word "listserv" to describe a different product or as a generic term for any email-based mailing list of that kind is a trademark misuse. The standard generic terms are ''electronic mailing list'', [[Wiktionary:E-list|e-list]], or ''email list'' for the list itself, and ''email list manager'' or ''email list software'' for the software product that manages the list.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lsoft.com/corporate/trademark.asp | title=LISTSERV trademark information}}</ref> Nevertheless, the generic use of the term has been common at times.<ref name="spectrum">{{cite journal|last=Lambert|first=Greg|date=June 2009|title=Where Do Listservs Fit in a Social Media World?: The networking tool of the 90s is starting to show its age|journal=AALL Spectrum|pages=8,9,13|url=http://www.aallnet.org/main-menu/Publications/spectrum/Archives/Vol-13/pub_sp0906/pub-sp0906-listservs.pdf|volume=13|access-date=2019-01-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319151852/http://www.aallnet.org/main-menu/Publications/spectrum/Archives/Vol-13/pub_sp0906/pub-sp0906-listservs.pdf|archive-date=2012-03-19|url-status=dead}}</ref> == Security == Individual user [[password]]s were stored in plaintext until version 15.0. This made them available to users who are listed as "Site Managers" or "Postmasters" in the application configuration. Storing passwords in plaintext has the potential to allow anyone with access to the site, including attackers who might have compromised the site, to read the credentials. With the 2007 release of version 15.5, passwords are now stored [[Cryptographic hash function|hashed]] to defend against this attack.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/15.5/htmlhelp/what's%20new/WhatsNew.3.1.html | title=What's New for LISTSERV | work= | author= | date=2007 | accessdate=2012-03-08 }} </ref> == Editions == LISTSERV is available in several licensing options: LISTSERV Lite Free Edition for non-commercial hobby use; LISTSERV Lite for smaller workloads; LISTSERV, the standard, full-featured version; LISTSERV HPO (High Performance Option); and LISTSERV Maestro (for customized and targeted email publishing and reporting). == Supported operating systems == A list of currently-supported operating systems can be found at [http://lsoft.com/products/listserv_os.asp LISTSERV Supported Operating Systems] == See also == {{Portal|Internet}} * [[List of mailing list software]] * [[Massively distributed collaboration]] == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.lsoft.com/products/listserv.asp LISTSERV product information on L-Soft's Web site] and its [http://www.lsoft.com/resources/listserv-community.asp catalog of LISTSERV lists] (CataList Email List Search) [[Category:1986 software]] [[Category:Mailing list software]] [[Category:Internet protocols]] [[Category:Internet Standards]] [[Category:Internet Protocol based network software]] [[Category:Email]] [[Category:Trademarks]]
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