The IETF should run an IMAPS server for it's lists. Preferably users should be able to get accounts for the purpose of read/replied/... flag state keeping, but if truly read-only, users could just fetch IETF list emails into local stores.
Also: provide a subscription option that allows posting but does not deliver any posts to the subscriber.
If spammers start gathering email addresses from this service, then require an account and let only subscribers to at least one IETF list have that.
I know there exists an RFC about this. Let's just do it.
This will solve the some/many-posts-appear-as-spam problem for at least those users who can get access to (e.g., firewall exemption) this service when they need it.
Also, i find the archive views awful. I'd rather we have the traditional mailman archive view plus something more akin to a read-only web forum for those sad sad people who prefer web forum interfaces to mailing lists. For the saddest users maybe also write-only web forum.
Only semi-facetiously yours,
Nico
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