Forums at postgresql.com.au

Hi,

I was told this was the most appropriate mailing list to ask - previously discussed on pgsql-general.

http://forums.postgresql.com.au

Recently I registered the domain name postgresql.com.au in the hope of starting up the first and only dedicated
postgresqlforums. After much back and forth it was decided that a forum would only work if it were integrally tied with
themailing list. So that's what I've done. 

I have written scripts that allow the seamless integration between the mailing lists and forums, with the following
features;
1. All mailing list posts are converted from email form to a forums post real time retaining the timestamps, email
poster,etc. 
2. Users are automatically created on the forum as they appear on the mailing list.
3. Any topic created or post made on the forum sends an email back to the mailing list after conversion, bbcode removal
etc.Emails have spoofed message-id and in-reply-to IDs to allow thread grouping like real emails from the mailing list. 
4. Any archived mbox can be loaded in and is fully back dated so that a user shows as signing up from their first
visiblepost as well as all their subsequent posts. 
5. Conversion between the forums and mailing lists retain the quotations ("Bob Smith said ...", etc)

In simple terms this means "A thread can be started on the mailing list or forum. A thread can then be replied on from
eitherthe mailing list, forum or mixture of both. The mailing list people never need to log into the forum and visa
versathrough seamless integration of the two mediums." 

The concept and completed model works very well but with one concern. As the mailing list will only accept mail coming
froma subscribed address it is not possible to use a persons forum sign up email as who the email is being sent from
(themailing list would reject this obviously.) As no one knows of an API than can be used to register a persons address
withoutconfirming that address by email the only solution is to use a subscribed generic email with the persons name; 

For example as I'm posting to the mailing list now, my From shows as:
Elliot Chance <elliotchance@gmail.com>

However if I had signed up to the forum (and not the mailing list) my From would have to be subscribed for the mailing
listto accept it like: 
Elliot Chance <forums@postgresql.com.au>
John Smith <forums@postgresql.com.au>
... etc.

OK, so after a brief background I'd like to organise a solution. Without any other feasible option would this generic
addresssystem be allowed? 

I should also point out that the conversions scripts take the persons name but hide their email behind the forum. I
havemade sure nothing is publicly available that is not already indexed by Google - nobody has objected so far but I
canunderstand how this issue is sensitive to some people. 

- Elliot