Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 02:10:27 +1000 From: Sue Blake <sue@welearn.com.au> To: freebsd-newbies@freebsd.org Subject: spam [was: Earn Cash] Message-ID: <19990707021027.34687@welearn.com.au> In-Reply-To: <199907061513.KAA11426@hostigos.otherwhen.com>; from Mike Avery on Tue, Jul 06, 1999 at 10:11:25AM -0500 References: <37820E54.E7A553E2@charm.net> <199907061513.KAA11426@hostigos.otherwhen.com>
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On 6 Jul 99, at 10:10, Dutch Collins wrote:
> This really is Lucky's Casino. Where does this stuff come from? I guess
> everyone has to live with it. My guess is that when I respond my URL or
> e-mail address gets logged.
Yes, if you respond to the spammer's address you're likely to get much
more spam and find your email address turns up on a CD that is sold to
spammers. Go to www.yahoo.com.au and search for "spam" to find lots
more information.
Spammers also use stupid software to go through web sites picking up
anything with an @ symbol in it to create lists of email addresses to
use or sell. That's how they get the mailing list addresses and think
they're individual people. If we took the mailing list addresses off
all web pages including the Handbook, that would be worse for the lists
than the relatively small amount of spam that the lists get.
On Tue, Jul 06, 1999 at 10:11:25AM -0500, Mike Avery wrote:
> Let's hope we don't have to live with it! Are the FreeBSD lists
> filtered so only subscribers can post to them? That has all but
> eliminated spam in the mailing lists I run.
No, every public FreeBSD list works the same: anyone can post.
That is not likely to be changed. This suggestion has been discussed
ad nauseum, and the benefits of having the lists open always outweigh
the risks involved. Other lists for other communities have different
setups and rules. The FreeBSD lists are a special case, set up and run
to suit this community's long standing habits and preferences.
Personally, I think it would be great if freebsd-newbies was for
subscribers only. In fact I'd like to give everyone a quiz first, to
make sure they've read the charter :-) OK, I can dream can't I?
One of the functions of the freebsd-newbies list is to help you get
used to how they work. For example, it is customary to use the
group-reply or reply-to-all function, so that the original poster gets
a separate copy of the reply as well as one via the list. That practice
would be frowned upon in many other communities, but it is preferred
here. Of course it means you have to trim superfluous addresses from
the message headers when they accumulate during a long thread of
conversation.
> Also, does the mail server that processes subscriptions check
> addresses against any of the anti-spam services?
Yes, it certainly does, plus it excludes its own list of people who
have spammed the lists.
On Tue, Jul 06, 1999 at 08:15:16AM -0700, Moreau, Edward W wrote:
> I've gotten 5 mailings already this morning and I won't stand for it.
You must be subscribed to five lists. They hit them all.
> I'm removing myself from the list for a few weeks until you can clean it up.
I'm sorry you find that necessary, but I understand. Those particular
spammers will be excluded from posting to freebsd.org in due course,
but they're not the only spammers in the world. There is no special
"cleaning up" to do, just following normal procedures.
Let me assure you that the FreeBSD lists and mail servers are run by
people with decades of experience who know what they're doing and
constantly fight against spam. Some of the list policies seem a bit
strange to people used to other lists. If you're curious about those
policies and conventions, this is a good place to ask.
--
Regards,
-*Sue*-
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