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Critical Eye on SpamAssassin

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the not-totally-surprising dept.

ErrorBase writes "In this Infoworld article, Logan G. Harbaugh makes a great deal about an ancient (2.44) version of SpamAssassin comparing it with newer comercial variants. Quote : You get what you pay for. [...] However, it took more than 10 times as long to install and configure SpamAssassin as it did any of the other products. " Why did he not ask Kevin Railsback who had the whole thing working some while ago?)"

6 of 324 comments (clear)

  1. Spamass Assin? by JPelorat · · Score: -1, Troll

    "SpamassAssin"?

    --
    Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
  2. In other news... by Da+Fokka · · Score: -1, Troll

    American technology prevailed once more when an F-16 beat the crap out of a supermarine Spitfire.
    More to come...

  3. Critical? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Biased isn't exactly synonymous to critical...

  4. Awww.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Hehe, always so funny watching the open-source cheerleaders get all huffy and indignant when one of their precious-es doesn't measure up.

    From the article...."Getting the various configuration files edited properly so that the whole package worked was not simple. Documentation was difficult to find, and not always easy to follow."

    Though he's talking about a specific piece of substandard free software, this argument could be legitmately applied to most of it in general, no?

  5. Further Proof by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    The article is also further proof that well-paid programmers working for successful commercial companies write better software than open-source sniggering idiots do for all the cheapskates out there who can't get their unwed junkie mothers to increase their allowances because the rent in the trailer park is skyrocketing all the time.

  6. Re:He already sent an open letter to SAtalk by ericspinder · · Score: 0, Troll
    From the mailing list (liar tag mine):
    <liar> I stated that I used the 2.44 release of SpamAssassin for two reasons - because it was the version shipping with the latest release of Red Hat 9 and because it would illustrate how much the state of the art has changed in the last year or two.</liar>
    I might have missed it, but in the article he doesn't state these "reasons". In fact his conclusion on it whould leave you to believe that SpamAssassin wasn't advancing at all.
    From the article:
    SpamAssassin is the perfect example of first-generation techniques becoming outmoded by advances in spamming technology.
    See nothing about this "old" version or "the one that ships with Red Hat 9.0". Off hand, I am not familiar his work, but both of the books on Amazon are out of print. One from '99 and the other from '98, talk about being outmoded!
    Novell's Problem-Solving Guide for Netware Systems (The Inside Story)
    and
    Troubleshooting Netware Systems
    --
    The grass is only greener, if you don't take care of your own lawn.