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SpamAssassin 3.0 Released

davemabe writes "At long last, SpamAssassin 3.0.0 has been released. I've been using the release candidates for a month or so, and the results have been far improved over previous versions. Its use of SURBL along with Bayes auto learning make it seem like this solution is the one to beat. It looks like they've introduced a new logo as well. Snazzy!"

15 of 335 comments (clear)

  1. actually i've always felt their name's not right by Build6 · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know, *assassins* are the type to take out single, lone, "high value" targets, right?

    Sneaking into fortresses/castles, creeping up and then offing the bad guy, or else maybe using some nice long-distance sniper rifle to take out the bad guy, or maybe choice application of poisons at the right bottle of wine, etc.

    This is not appropriate for *spam*, where we're talking about waves upon waves upon unending waves in what we would call a "target rich environment". Assassination? No, more like machine-gunning, or artillery, or, I dunno, nukes.

    Assassination would take too long.

  2. Re:Artificial intelligence was born... by Duke+Thomas · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to filter your spam."

  3. Buzzword use detection alert. by Grumpy+Troll · · Score: 3, Funny

    Snazzy!
    This word has triggered the filter of the buzzword use control, as a level 5 'useless/idiotic buzzword'. This is the last time we would like to have to alert, severe sanctions will prevail on next use of such a buzzword.

    Thank you for your coordination,

    the Buzzword Police.

  4. New logo by slaad · · Score: 2, Funny

    I feel like that new logo should be subtitled "Message for you, sir!"
    Perhaps a good "thwooop!" sound effect would go well with it too.

    --


    ~Warning!~ The above is encrypted using rot676!
  5. Re:SURBL by slaad · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ahh, the same principal as MT Blacklist. Good stuff, works half way descent and you're pretty much sure to not get a false possitive, unless...

    From: Mom
    Hi, honey, I just wanted to see how you were doing. We're doing great around here. Write back soon. I love you.

    Do you yahoo? Enlarge your penis [penis-enlarge.com] today!


    You never know I guess...

    --


    ~Warning!~ The above is encrypted using rot676!
  6. Re:Improved Performance? by slobbargoat · · Score: 2, Funny

    does anyone know of any GPL win32 anti-spam utilities capable of working with exchange?

  7. Better names? by Da+Twink+Daddy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, since it's capable of removing a certain caste of emails entirely how about SpamGenocide or SpamacialCleansing?

    Perhaps we should identify it with (im)famous person(s) to drive up hits like SpamHitler, SpamNazi, or SpamlobodanMilosevic?

    Maybe something that has an associated coolness factor, instead of being (almost) universaly hated, like Dr. Spamibal Lecter?

    Well, there's still the problem of overwhelming evil there. It's not really evil, just heartless and calculating. Hmm, heartless, calculating, killer... I got it! How about SpamAssassin? Oh, wait...

  8. Re:A spam arms race? by garcia · · Score: 3, Funny

    The only way to stop drugs is to realize that it is a social problem and legislate against it. Use enforcement to stop drugs in their tracks.

  9. New logo. by suso · · Score: 3, Funny

    The new logo is nice, but I was kinda partial to the nunchaku wielding ninjas knocking the crap out of spam.

  10. still waiting for spammerassassin by Daniel+Ellard · · Score: 4, Funny
    This looks great, and I look forward to using it, but it doesn't address the root of the problem. Anyone working on spammerassassin yet?

    --
    Disclaimer: I work for a company, but I don't speak for them.
    1. Re:still waiting for spammerassassin by geeklawyer · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes,
      The spammerassassin team is active, but on my legal advice they are not documenting their work: it could, technically, be argued to be murder.

      --
      -he who laughs last, is a bit slow.
      journal
  11. ColorAssassin 3.0 Released by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny
  12. Re:Does it use IP's or URI's ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can beat that. I wrote a little perl scrpt to use with procmail that marks 100% of incoming email as spam. 100% vs 50%. My way is better :)

  13. Re:SURBL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Obviscate? Is that like obfuscate?

  14. Re:Does it use IP's or URI's ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Human readable? Total bullshit. Here's an excerpt:

    A Bayes net is a graph structure whose nodes are terms or concepts with attached truth values or probabilities, and whose links are conditional probabilities.

    It gets worse from there.

    As near as I can tell, a Bayes net is nothing but a series of tests to determine probability of spam or whatever, dressed up with hand waving and fancy words. I might be wrong, I have no idea, this incomprehensible article you linked to gives me no clue.

    Here's a closing quote for those masochists looking for a headache (and mind you this is from a BULLET POINT):

    It computes a mathematically provable least squares best fit model to the data you feed in, which is unlikely with a hand-engineered or even automatically generated Bayesian network. Both techniques try to generate a reduced dimensional space in which most of variance of the original data is captured - SVD guarantees it's the best one.