Some time ago, Peter Viscarola wrote…
B) While only members may post comments to the list, the NTDEV and NTFSD
lists are available to the public via the web interface as well as via the
newsreader interface.We propose to DISCONTINUE public access to the list via newsreader or web,
and only allow members to read messages posted to the list. Our goal for
this proposal is to reduce spam to our members. Let us know if you care.
I think that discontinuing public access to the list for the sake of
fighting spam ONLY is not right. Spam is a natural phenomenon at this
stage of Internet development, and cannot be stopped. A few other things
belong, or belonged, to this category, such as European feudal wars in
the Middle Ages, mosquitoes and tax collection.
I do not think that it would be feasible to give up public benefit in an
attempt to guard somebody from inevitable.
I, for one, use a Bayesian spam filter - it is not the Middle Ages in the
end! 
-kkm