TULP, like ListProc, started life when LISTSERV ran only under VM/CMS, as a
program for people who wanted a LISTSERV feel on a Unix box.  Unlike
ListProc, however, TULP has stayed extremely true to the LISTSERV syntax, at
least for the minimal feature set it supports -- it has also, surprisingly,
remained very simple.  In terms of the "philosophy dichotomy," TULP quietly
thinks "small is beautiful" (it actually stays closer to this philosophy than
any of the other packages), but it emulates a program that shouts: "BIG is
beautiful!"  The result, to someone used to LISTSERV, is sort of strange.
While TULP is reliable and useful, it feels schizophrenic, or perhaps like a
tease ...  its *commands* look like LISTSERV's, its *output* looks like
LISTSERV's, and it typically answers at the listserv user id, but it doesn't
execute any but the simplest requests -- there's no digest facility, no
alternate headers, no database searching, minimal loop detection, and no
global directory.  Many people never use a command beyond the basics, though,
and for them TULP will feel comfortably like LISTSERV.

For administrators, TULP retains a LISTSERV feel, with its configuration file
taking a subset of LISTSERV keywords.  However, the file must be edited
locally; remote administration is limited to the addition and removal of
subscriber addresses and the approval of messages for moderated lists (using
an "Approved:" header).

TULP has two advantages over the other simple programs: first, most of its
messages are centralized into one file, making it less difficult to write
translations for other languages (French is already available).  Second, it
runs as a daemon, so that the maximum overhead it imposes on the system is
fairly low.  Note however that if you use TULP's Perl "deliver" routine,
which is necessary to filter administrative messages from your mailing lists,
you will have a (short) invocation of Perl for every message that arrives.

TULP's author writes: "No other features are planned for this package.  The
author [plans] to develop a new freely available product named 'ML' which
will be as simple as TULP [in its] installation and management, but which
should add better management features.  Development has not yet started and
is not decided."  (wolf@pasteur.fr to naleks@library.ummed.edu, 25 Nov 94)

Source code is available at
<ftp://ftp.univ-lyon1.fr/pub/systems/unix/mail/list-servers/tulp/>

To discuss TULP, subscribe to listnix@grasp.insa-lyon.fr by writing "sub
listnix Your Name" in the body of a message to listserv@grasp.insa-lyon.fr.