changes to LDM support

• To: ldm-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: changes to LDM support
• From: Steve Emmerson <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2004 16:04:08 -0700

Dear "ldm-users" member,

The time has come to investigate improving the way the LDM is supported.
These improvements are motivated by recent developments:

  1.  There are now several "users" of the LDM that do not use the
      Internet Data Distribution (IDD) system.  Consequently, typical
      messages like "Host XXX is going off-line.  Please fail-over" will
      NEVER interest them -- and yet they need someplace to discuss the
      LDM.  These "users" currently include Spain, Australia, NWS, and
      NASA -- and their number is expected to grow.

  2.  I've put the LDM project under a locally-installed GForge
      project-management system (see http://www.gforge.org for
      information on GForge).  This will (hopefully) increase my
      productivity (or at least help me remember stuff :-).

Consequently, I would appreciate it if you would

  1.  CONTINUE TO USE the "ldm-users" mailing-list for IDD-related
      messages.  This will minimize any disruption for the majority of
      postings to that mailing-list.

  2.  Start using the features of the LDM GForge-site for "pure"
      LDM-related stuff that has nothing to do with the IDD system
      (instead of posting to the "ldm-users" mailing-list).  Useful,
      user-oriented features of the GForge-site include the following:

        * A general-purpose "user" forum that you can automatically
          monitor.  You do NOT need to register with the GForge system
          in order to post a message.

        * A "news" forum that you can automatically monitor.
          Announcements of new releases will be posted here.  You can
          post comments on news articles.

        * Tracked and searchable bug-reports.

        * Tracked and searchable support-requests.

        * Tracked and searchable feature-requests.

        * A download-area that can be automatically monitored.

You can get to the LDM GForge-site via the URL

    http://gforge.unidata.ucar.edu/projects/ldm

or by following links on the "my.unidata" site:

    http://my.unidata.ucar.edu -> Software -> LDM -> Project GForge-Site

The purpose of these changes is to investigate potential improvments to
LDM support.  If these changes don't work out, then we'll revert.

Regards,
Steve Emmerson
LDM Developer