![[LISTSERV - the mailing list management classic]](https://www.lsoft.com/images/HDR-LISTSERV-sm.gif)
There are many possible ways to measure the relative "importance" or "size" of LISTSERV sites: number of lists, number of subscribers, number of messages delivered, etc. In most cases, the number of messages delivered is used to rank mailing list managers, because it is the most accurate measurement of the amount of activity on the server. But, depending on what you are looking for, other variables may be more appropriate. There are currently three LISTSERV "Top 20" lists, ranking the various servers according to:
In addition, you can view a list of the Top 20 lists in the network (by number of subscribers).
The statistics are gathered daily by a monitor at L-Soft which polls all the LISTSERV sites that participate in the "open" LISTSERV network over the worldwide Internet. Corporate servers operating in a "closed" environment are not included.
The statistics are organized in monthly reports. The message volume figures are a flat average of the accumulated traffic for the entire month. Thus, a server that delivers 300,000 messages per month will show a daily average of 10,000 messages. In practice, there is a lot less traffic during the weekend, and even during business days there can be significant fluctuations (~30%). The list statistics (number of lists, number of subscribers, largest lists in the network) are measured as of the last day in the month.
For the current month, the message volume figures are averaged based on the number of days that have elapsed. In practice, the figures are not very meaningful in the first few days, especially if the month starts on a weekend. In that case it is best to refer to the previous month for more accurate figures.
A fourth "Top 20" list is available for the more technically oriented: Number of messages generated by the server. This corresponds to the number of mail messages created by the server while processing postings to its mailing lists. LISTSERV delivers its mail using an intelligent mail delivery function called DISTRIBUTE, which improves mail delivery times and reduces bandwidth usage by spreading the delivery chore over scores of participating servers. Each of these servers processes the recipients for its service area (typically its organization or campus). In most cases, DISTRIBUTE simply alters the manner in which the mail is delivered, and the number of messages forwarded to other sites for optimized delivery is roughly equal to the number of messages received by other sites for the same purpose. In some cases, however, this is not the case, either because the server elected to serve a much wider service area than its own organization, or because it is explicitly forwarding all its deliveries to another machine (for instance, many mainframe-based servers forward their mail to a workstation or PC for delivery).
Pos Recipients Site --- ---------- ---- 1 890294 PLUM.EASE.LSOFT.COM (OpenVMS V7.3-1 + LSMTP V1.1b) 2 577323 LISTSERV.VERSUS.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 3 484474 APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 4 483429 LISTSERV.FOXNEWS.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 5 459211 OXYGEN3.PANDASOFTWARE.COM (Windows NT 5.2 Server) 6 434631 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-32.0.1.ELsmp) 7 409398 LS.TIMEINC.NET (Solaris 2.8) 8 382097 HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 9 374875 MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (OpenVMS V6.2-1H3 + LSMTP V1.1a) 10 368958 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 11 355920 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 4.3) 12 284681 LISTSERV.COMPUTERWORLD.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 13 283024 MAILER.SYR.EDU (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 14 265862 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 15 262684 DTIC.MIL (Solaris 2.9) 16 251985 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 17 250241 H-NET.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.4.29) 18 234641 EMA3LSV01.CNN.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 19 226019 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.4.18-27.7.xsmp) 20 225817 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-11.ELsmp)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 3864177 LS.TIMEINC.NET (Solaris 2.8) 2 1965898 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 2.4.21-32.0.1.ELsmp) 3 1421622 LISTSERV.ND.EDU (Solaris 2.8) 4 1332937 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 4.3) 5 1202129 CLEMSON.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 6 1199190 LISTSERV.VERSUS.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 7 1007865 LISTSERV.ACM.ORG (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 8 978250 LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Solaris 2.8) 9 962265 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 10 820316 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 4.3) 11 775398 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-32.0.1.ELsmp) 12 741039 CUVMC.AIS.COLUMBIA.EDU (VM/SP 3.0) 13 737158 LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.4.27-grsec) 14 731437 PUBLISHER.SSRN.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 15 697759 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-11.ELsmp) 16 648419 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 17 636642 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Solaris 2.8) 18 618916 LISTS.WAYNE.EDU (Solaris 2.6) 19 570213 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 20 541260 LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-20.ELsmp)
Pos Lists Site --- ----- ---- 1 30007 LISTSERV.ND.EDU (Solaris 2.8) 2 26209 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 3 19335 CLEMSON.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 4 18151 LISTES.ULAVAL.CA (Linux 2.4.21-32.0.1.ELsmp) 5 10201 LISTSERV.TAU.AC.IL (Solaris 2.8) 6 8758 LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.4.27-grsec) 7 6805 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 4.3) 8 5610 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-11.ELsmp) 9 5477 TECHUNIX.TECHNION.AC.IL (Solaris 2.9) 10 5477 LISTSERV.MILLERSVILLE.EDU (Solaris 2.8) 11 5037 LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 12 4980 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 4.3) 13 4525 LISTSERV.TAMU.EDU (Solaris 2.6) 14 4291 MARIST (VM/SP 1.0) 15 4177 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-32.0.1.ELsmp) 16 4025 HERMES.GWU.EDU (Solaris 2.7) 17 3776 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 18 3625 LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 19 3611 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 20 2649 LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK (Solaris 2.9)
Pos Recipients Site --- ---------- ---- 1 803718 PEACH.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 2 459249 OXYGEN3.PANDASOFTWARE.COM (Windows NT 5.2 Server) 3 426872 APPLE.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 4 418570 LISTSERV.UGA.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-32.0.1.ELsmp) 5 412737 LS.TIMEINC.NET (Solaris 2.8) 6 388911 HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 7 368965 LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU (Solaris 2.9) 8 360330 MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU (OpenVMS V6.2-1H3 + LSMTP V1.1a) 9 348649 LISTSERV.SYR.EDU (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 10 347860 LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 4.3) 11 331579 H-NET.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.4.29) 12 265903 DTIC.MIL (Solaris 2.9) 13 264525 LSV.UKY.EDU (Windows 2000 Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 14 245361 LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b) 15 221828 LISTSERV.UIC.EDU (Linux 2.4.18-27.7.xsmp) 16 216852 LISTSERV.REDIRIS.ES (Solaris 2.8 + LSMTP V1.1b) 17 211325 LISTS.UFL.EDU (AIX 4.3) 18 198628 LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-11.ELsmp) 19 189724 LISTES.LEMONDE.FR (SunOS 5.6 + LSMTP V1.1b) 20 186343 LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU (Solaris 2.9)
Pos Subscribers Site --- ----------- ---- 1 357846 SSA_ENEWS@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Solaris 2.8) 2 122843 POSTMITA@LISTSERV.NIC.IT (Solaris 2.9) 3 118498 SOCIALSECURITY_W2NEWS@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Solaris 2.8) 4 81619 COMPUTING@LIST.MSU.EDU (Linux 2.6.5-7.193-smp) 5 78373 RFP-BULLETIN@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.8) 6 75727 FIRSTGOV-L@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Solaris 2.8) 7 64658 CARE2@MILEPOST1.COM (Linux 2.4.20-31.9smp) 8 63967 PND-L@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.8) 9 62632 FEDINFO@LISTSERV.GSA.GOV (Solaris 2.8) 10 61254 TEMPLETODAY@LISTSERV.TEMPLE.EDU (Linux 2.4.21-20.ELsmp) 11 58828 L-PSU-TRAVEL-PROGRAM@LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 4.3) 12 55848 VTNETLETTER@LISTSERV.VT.EDU (Linux 2.6.9-11.ELsmp) 13 52818 FDNCENTER-L@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.8) 14 41064 JOB-ALERT@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.8) 15 40603 ALUMNI@LISTSERV.CC.KULEUVEN.AC.BE (Linux 2.4.27-grsec) 16 39761 MARKETPLACE@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.8) 17 39416 ARTINFO-L@LISTSERV.DFN.DE (Solaris 2.9) 18 34832 EDUCATION_FUNDING@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG (Solaris 2.8) 19 34254 L-SMEALZINE@LISTS.PSU.EDU (AIX 4.3) 20 31807 JAGNEWS-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU (Windows 2000 Advanced Server + LSMTP V1.1b)