I visualized a list server program with features that facilitated business applications and allowed full integration with the growing Internet. Since the U.S. government had recently decided to pull out of the Internet, commerce was suddenly legal. This timing was perfect for a user-friendly commercial list server designed specifically to automate information dissemination for business or personal purposes.

My goal was to build a list server with a database foundation and Web interface to replace old-fashioned email commands. After moving my company from Maryland to California, I worked with two other programmers for more than a year to write Lyris ListManager. We released the first version in 1996.

ListManager eliminated many of the shortcomings of previous programs, such as lack of effective Web interfaces and difficulty of administration. As a result of its easy-to-use interface and high-end features for UNIX and Windows, ListManager quickly gained mass acceptance-especially from corporate users who didn't have access to mainframes or BITNET membership.

Since its release in 1996, ListManager has enabled nearly 3,000 businesses to manage hundreds of thousands of opt-in email lists comprising tens of millions of members. Five years later, ListManager is on its fourth release and has lead to a version for SQL servers that enables integration with outside databases.

Future enterprise
As more organizations discover the value of communicating directly through mailing lists, email will play an even greater role in our Internet experience. Advanced list servers--with their ability to automate distribution of product announcements, customer surveys, and newsletters--have already become a crucial component of online commerce. The next generation of these applications is poised to eliminate the distinction between an isolated list of subscribers and a database of customers, thereby enabling refined message targeting.

One result of this growth in technology and usage is, of course, the debate over "permission" email. The Internet community will likely find a way to resolve this hot topic, so that future list servers enable better communication and increase the value of email.

John Buckman, CEO and founder of Lyris Technologies at http://www.lyris.com.