Welcome to the Rapid Prototyping Electronic Mailing List

Please read this before you submit a message to the list.

Contents:

Before sending any articles to the list, you should read and understand the Mailing list etiquette. If you comply to the simple rules here, we will all stay happy.


What is an "Electronic mailing list"

An electronic mailing list can be an extremely fast and simple means for exchanging ideas, obtaining information, establishing contacts, and distributing information. A message sent to this list gets distributed to a worldwide audience consisting of approximately 400 subscribers at the moment (February 2018). The number of subscribers peaked at almost two thousand in 2010.

What is the purpose of this mailing list?

It is a forum for individuals interested in Rapid Prototyping Technologies (RPT) in Manufacturing. Any topic related to RPT can be discussed.

How does it work?

This mailing list is managed automagically by GNU Mailman. This means that several services are provided without human (read our intervention). This includes subscribing/unsubscribing, obtaining old messages etc.

For a complete list of services, check the list information page at http://rapid.rp-ml.org/mailman/listinfo/rp-ml.

How do I subscribe or unsubscribe to this list?

It is very simple. Just point your browser to the abovementioned list information page and insert your email address there. Be sure to write your address in the exact form it appears in your outoing mails or your postintgs will need to be manually approved.

In the list information page there are several options to manage your subscription, including the option to unsubscribe from the list.

How do I send messages to this mailing list?

Again, it is very simple. Just send a message to rp-ml@rp-ml.org Every individual in the mailing list will receive a copy of the message.

There is no moderator. Your message WILL always be forwarded to everyone on the list. Please read your message twice before submitting it.

If you send a reply to an article from the list, it will by default be sent to the list address. If you wish to send your reply only to the original poster you must change the recipient of your message to their particular address.

Who is maintaining this list?

The "owner" of the list is Finnish Rapid Prototype Association (FIRPA). The person behind all the technical details and the software installation is Seppo J Niemi <zaphod@rp-ml.org>.

What other functions are available?

The GNU mailman software supports a number of functions. You can see them at the list information page, if you provide your personal password. Every subscriber's old password was lost in February 2018, because the service had to re-built from scratch after a misunderstanding with the service provider. But fortunately there is an option to reset your password

How do I get to see the messages already posted?

All the articles sent to the list have been archived for viewing purpose in HTML format. The old articles, prior to February 2018 are available at http://rapid.rp-ml.org/

The more recent articles can be found at the GNU mailman archive page at http://rapid.rp-ml.org/pipermail/rp-ml/

Guidelines - mailing list etiquette

Advertising on the mailing list

Once upon a time, it was felt by some that advertising on this mailing list was not appropriate.

It is NOT, unless the message is INFORMATIVE, ie. it contains information relevant to an issue being discussed, or it helps fullfill the purpose of the mailing list.

For instance, it is entirely acceptable for a RP vendor to announce a new product. We are all interested in the products the RP vendors are placing on the market. I refrain from giving more examples, and I hope common sense and tolerance prevail from those sending and receiving such messages.

Answers to questions

When responding to a posted question, if your answer is likely to be of general interest (usually it is), then send the reply to the list (rp-ml@rp-ml.org), not just to the person asking the question. This is usually accomplished by just hitting "Reply" in your email client. If the matter is not of general interest, you might choose to send it only to the original poster. How to achieve this, depends on your particular email client.

As the questioner, if you do receive replies directly, then it is good manners to post a summary of the responses you get, unless the sender(s) explicitly tells you otherwise. In summary, if you use this mailing list to obtain information, it is good manners to share it with others.

Chain letters

Circulating chain letters through the mailing list is absolutely forbidden. Chain letters should not be sent in the Internet, and many Internet Service Providers have accepted a policy of disabling accounts that are caught sending chain letters. You have been warned.