Mailing Lists

This page describes the RepRap mailing lists

There are four principal RepRap mailing lists:

library gnomes

The library gnomes mailing list is where we're discussing replacing reprap's venerable mediwiki with something that supports cad files: http://lists.reprap.org/mailman/listinfo/library-gnomes

reprap-dev

If you're reading this, you're a reprap developer.  :D

In which case, we'd be honored if you join us in reprap-dev the official friendly but technical mailing list for all you friendly but technical people out there!!!

Note: non-technical discussion will be gently but systematically nudged back into reprap-users.

If you're at the What_Tooling_Do_You_Have point, that is to say, just starting out, your queries should go into reprap-users.

And if you're a reprap-dev, and you see basic-level queries in reprap-dev, please respond to them, but into reprap-users. As part of our patent-pending gentle but systematic nudging process. You may do up a separate email to reprap dev "thread moved to reprap-users since this doesn't seem to be development yet", if you like.

EDIT: still need to tone down hostility to new-devs for the following bits.

This double message is coined to express its intended use: technical discussion under friendly terms. What may not be immidiately clear about this message is that asking for basic help is not considered "technical". Neither is blatant day dreaming about what the future might bring considered "technical". New drawings for a better extruder IS however considered technical ;-)

Another kind of appreciated technical discussion is bug reports - especially good ones, and very very especially the ones which are explained very carefully both in terms of problem description and in method of reprodusability.

There are at the time of writing no clearly defined heiracical structure in the reprap development process, so there are no sublists as common in other projects - there are no. say, reprap-dev-extruder or reprap-dev-electronics lists available.

We do have a few Reprap-Dev-Guidelines.

reprap-users

The reprap-users mailing list is also an open list. Users are welcomed to participate in helping each other in whatever way they can. This is a great source for pointers and hints.

Users are heavitly encouraged to keep a freindly and good spirited attituede - don't tell people to "read the fucking manual", but rather point them politely to the relevant section of the somewhat daunting amount of literature new adopters face.

If you think you have found a bug in one of the RepRap components, it is good idea to check with others on this mailing list first before contacting reprap-dev, as it may be a problem unique to your machine, or it may simply be a misunderstood concept (not uncommon). Also, more seasoned users may have great input on how to formally form a bug report - good bug reports gets handled faster.

Last but not least, reprap-users is a great place to exchange design ideas and otherwise just hang out hand have great fun

reprap-admin

This is an internal mailing list which can be used by reprap's administrators. It is not open to public participation and it is not open to public viewing. Because of it's closed nature one can only speculate about what exactly is discussed there. As far as the users go, the administrators could be using this list to trade Pokemon cards. However, in practice such internal stewardship lists have traditionally been used in other Free Software/Open Source projects to settle minor disagreements among the core members, and to discuss outside forces doing or attempting harm to the project.

To share some insight as to what reprap-admin is used for, core team member secret cabal leader Sebastien Bailard spoke up:

"Eh. So far, a bit of chat that belonged in reprap-users, and was moved there, and ... that's about it really.

It's worth keeping around in case some silly bugger starts selling boxes of rocks as repraps in the marketplace.

In which case, inventing a shadowy cabal of people who can back me up when I say "naughty-naughty-naughty" is much better than having an internal debate or self-organizing lynch mob rip apart reprap-users or, providence forbid, reprap-dev. Oh. reprap-admin is handy for "blessing" reprap moderators in the forum and as a mechanism to keep entrepreneurs from twiddling the front page."

--Sebastien Bailard 06:48, 15 January 2011 (UTC)