Building A Better Inbox (Updated)

vudujava writes "c|net is reporting that a new free (Update: not free, actually, read more for details.), web based email service is opening it's doors today. They promise to deliver "100% spam free" email to their users by using a challenge-response system to all incoming, first-time mail. Catch the entire story here. Although the idea isn't new, it shows that we are notching up the "war on spam"." Alert reader George Hotelling points out this post on Politech which may give you pause when it comes to the new mail service's Terms of Service. And kraksmoka writes "As reported on this article on MSNBC : 'Hotmail subscribers are now limited to sending only 100 messages a day "in an effort to prevent spammers from using Hotmail to spread spam," said Lisa Gurry, MSN lead product manager.'" dlanod writes "In your snippet on the main page you report mailblocks.com as "a new free, web based email service". Looking at Mailblocks' site, it actually costs $9.95/year for the standard service, or $24.95/year for the expanded service with no free option listed (https://app1.mailblocks.com/register.htm)."

Comments

UN resolution #4882372

[Anonymous Coward]

This undeclared "war on spam" is unauthorized imperialist aggression!

Call It A Night, Cowboy!

[sulli]

Because limits on posts work so well for the slashdot trolls.

Seriously, who spams from Hotmail anyway? Don't all the real spammers use custom software with a built-in smtp server? I've gotten enough spams advertising it, after all.

ToS translation

[Limburgher]

We are committed to preventing delivery of any spam (except ours) to your inbox, in an effort to prevent you from being harrassed by anyone (except us) trying to send you unwanted advertising (i.e. not ours).

Hmmm. No thanks.

Web based email service is opening it's doors?

[ThatMadeNoSense]

Web based email service is opening it's doors

That made no sense.

Re:Not *all* spam is bad

[RembrandtX]

all e-mail lists and or mailings should be OPT-IN.
if a customer opts in .. then yes .. you are correct, their targeted e-mail is acceptable.

however, if you just happen to 'get' their e-mail for example .. from any of the credit industry companies, or from web trolling etc - assume they are gamers, and send them 'targeted' e-mail, then you are no better than the bastards who call me at 8:00 am on a monday morning because they know I bought a lawnmower last month, and *know* i like outdoor power equipment - and want to sell me more.

I believe the exact conversation went something like this :

Telemarketer: 'Mr Walk, I see here that you recently bought an electric lawn mower at Home Depot, I am authorised to offer you an electric hedge trimmer through my company at a steep discount ! Does that sound interesting to you?'

me: 'I am authorized to remind you that you just woke me the fuck up, that you are to remove me from your calling list, and any calling lists your company uses.'

Telemarketer: 'But Mr. Walk, this is a great deal .. '

me: (interrupting) ' I am *NOW* authorized to tell you to remove me from your calling list, and any calling lists your company uses, and to tell you to 'go fuck yourself' *click*

Now with 'targed' non opted e-mail .. I am denied the simple retaliation of telling someone to go screw.

So .. *no* its not the same .. and *no* I don't approve.

Re:SA still works

[stratjakt]

If you want to try it out, you will (most likely) need your own machine handling mail (if you're a broadband or DSL user, this is easy enough, I'll assume you've made that step...)

Now, make sure Perl is installed.

Now, as root, type "perl -MCPAN -e shell" and follow the instructions to set up Perl's configuration system.

In that shell, type "install Mail::SpamAssassin".

Exit that shell and type "/etc/init.d/spamassassin start"

You will want to do what your OS prefers for making sure this starts at boot time, under Red Hat Linux, that's "/sbin/chkconfig --levels 35 spamassassin on"

Exit your root shell, and do the rest as your user account.

Assuming you use sendmail with procmail (see the SpamAssassin site for other MTA configuration steps), put: :0fw
| spamc -f
into your .procmailrc.

SpamAssassin is now doing its job. It just marks messages that it thinks are spam. See the example procmailrc [spamassassin.org] on spamassassin.org for more information on how you can move the mail to another folder, delete it, or even more complex things. Also, there's a procmail bug that the example config can help you work around.

If you're doing this on a busy site, I recommend adding "-m 20" or so to your spamd command-line to throttle periods of intense mail delivery.

You can also configure SpamAssassin to do lots of useful stuff just the way you like it. There's a FAQ on your site that will walk you through it, but after the first time spamd handles mail for you, it will create a ".spamassassin/user_prefs" file that has good comments in it that guide you through common configuration needs (like whitelisting users).

Is that all!?

I'll forward this to my grandma toute-suite.

I have the solution to spam!

[fredrikj]

Add the following to your mail processing software:

if (inmsg == spam)
{
delete(inmsg);
}

You may have to change the names of the variables/functions to suit those in your application's source code.

I haven't tested it extensively, but the algorithm seems solid.

Re:do you have a reading comprehension problem?

[walt-sjc]

Handling of lists through GUI
Windows Architecture

... And these are supposed to be GOOD things????

Re:Internet Explorer Centric

[walt-sjc]

Bill? Is that you?

New tactics in the War on Spam

[smack_attack]

Spammers of the world,

You have 48 hours to cease sending spam and give up. If you fail to stop sending spam after this timeframe, we will remove you from the Internet forcibly and swiftly. We will track you down and destroy your lists. Insecure servers will no longer be regarded as innocent relays, they will be dealt with swiftly and justly as well.

You have 48 hours to comply with this ultimatum. Act responsibly with email and you will reap the benefits. Use spambot and harvesters and our forces will react with force.

-Coalition of Canned Meat