Sorry, but your response is wrong and shows how uninformed you (and many other people) are on this subject.
You think spammers make money because you buy based on their email? Nope - this is not the case. There are lots of tricks spammers use to make money - try a google search on "how spammers make money" and do some research.
Just selecting a message that is in one of your email folders (even if you are just selecting in order to delete the message) can generate revenue for a spammer. Many of the image tags in HTML messages are actually used for tracking whether a person reads a message or not. Spammers can make money from this information. Anti-spam tools will keep you from ever seeing this message.
3) There is a breakeven point, you need a certain response rate in order to maintain the spamming rate -- otherwise you lose money.
Anti-spamming tools help reduce the return rate (not saying we shouldn't investigate other options, just that this is something the "average joe/jane can do"). Enough people using anti spam tools will start putting a bite on the return rate, and put spammers out of business.
Use the tools!!!
I recently started using SAProxy under Windows (I'm stuck with windows at work:-(), I've found that it does a decent job filtering out the spam.
However I've really gotten hooked on Bloomba -- it has good SAProxy integration. Very simple to setup compared to some of the other antispam solutions.
If people start adopting anti-spam technologies we would reduce the return spammers get from sending spam. Reduce this enough and the spamming business will no longer be profitable.
POPFile is great. I've also used SAProxy (http://saproxy.bloomba.com/) under windows and it works great too.
Again, the idea is not to eliminate all spam, but to reduce the return rate, and therefore the money made by spammers.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, but your response is wrong and shows how uninformed you (and many other people) are on this subject. You think spammers make money because you buy based on their email? Nope - this is not the case. There are lots of tricks spammers use to make money - try a google search on "how spammers make money" and do some research. Just selecting a message that is in one of your email folders (even if you are just selecting in order to delete the message) can generate revenue for a spammer. Many of the image tags in HTML messages are actually used for tracking whether a person reads a message or not. Spammers can make money from this information. Anti-spam tools will keep you from ever seeing this message.
1) You gotta pay to send spam (there is a cost)
2) Spammers make money on the reponses they get.
3) There is a breakeven point, you need a certain response rate in order to maintain the spamming rate -- otherwise you lose money.
Anti-spamming tools help reduce the return rate (not saying we shouldn't investigate other options, just that this is something the "average joe/jane can do"). Enough people using anti spam tools will start putting a bite on the return rate, and put spammers out of business. Use the tools!!!
SpamAssassin
SAProxy (windows)
However I've really gotten hooked on Bloomba -- it has good SAProxy integration. Very simple to setup compared to some of the other antispam solutions.
The key is to make spammers not make money!
If people start adopting anti-spam technologies we would reduce the return spammers get from sending spam. Reduce this enough and the spamming business will no longer be profitable.
POPFile is great. I've also used SAProxy (http://saproxy.bloomba.com/) under windows and it works great too.
Again, the idea is not to eliminate all spam, but to reduce the return rate, and therefore the money made by spammers.