On Friday, November 1, 2002, at 03:53 AM, Sean Brunnock wrote:
> OK. Then explain something to me. How does SpamAssassin differentiate
> between a solicited bulk message and an unsolicited bulk message?
>
Generally pretty well, as long as you avoid using unfortunate phrases.
One of our authors used the term "hardcore" in an issue recently and
you could hear the alarms go off across the universe. But other than
that, and the occasional person who doesn't understand how to use it,
sets it too aggressive, adn then blasts copies of things at every
contact address at the company, it's okay. and it's not SA's fault that
idiots exist.
In practice, it works pretty well for legitimate mail. My only gripe is
that unfortunate phrasing can get nailed. But that's workable with some
training. It's a lot better than many other "solutions" admins use
(such as simple keyword blocks), because it considers all of the
evidence and comes up with a decision. It seems to do okay.
now, when people start hooking up Spam Assassin to badly run services,
you get a GIGO effect. Lots of folks use SA with Vipuls Razor, and I'm
not impressed with it. Ditto Spews and a number of the blackholes.
OTOH, I've come to the conclusion that SpamCop is pretty well run
(gasp. what, chuq saying nice things about a spam enforcer?).
So I don't have any real complaints about spam assassin. You have to
set it up right, keep an eye on it, and maintain it with updates -- but
there's lots worse stuff out there.
--
Chuq Von Rospach, Architech
chuqui@plaidworks.com -- http://www.plaidworks.com/chuqui/blog/
The Cliff's Notes Cliff's Notes on Hamlet:
And they all died happily ever after
References:
|
|
