[Biopython-dev] Biopython-dev mailing freeze for spam removal

[Michiel Jan Laurens de Hoon]

I went through the biopython-dev mailing list archive to remove the spam 
messages. To replace the archive with the new spam-free one, we need to 
replace the message box file on the server and regenerate the archive. 
To make sure no messages are lost during the file replacement, it may be 
a good idea to stop sending new messages to biopython-dev until after 
the file replacement has been completed.

For future reference, this is what needs to be done to update the archive:

o) remove the /home/mailman/archives/private/mailinglistname directory
o) edit the mailinglistname.mbox file at 
/home/mailman/archives/private/mailinglistname.mbox/mailinglistname.mbox
o) run /home/mailman/bin/arch mailinglistname

To edit the biopython-dev.mbox file, I used netscape mail. By putting 
the file in the same directory as where netscape stores its message 
folders, biopython-dev.mbox will look like an ordinary message folder. 
You can then use netscape mail to go through the messages and delete the 
spam. When you're done, you go to File > Compact Folders to actually 
update the biopython-dev.mbox file.

The only glitch that I found with this is that if a line in a message 
starts with "From", netscape mail will interpret this as the start of a 
new email message. I found this in only 2 messages in about 3000, so it 
can be fixed by hand easily.

--Michiel.