Richard,
When ISPs put Bayesian Algorithm Spam Filters and Antivirus Filters on their mail servers, this problem will be solved. It is something the ISPs could do today but they just do not do it.
I'm not sure that I
completely agree with you
. Viruses and spam need to be treated differently. AV software and proper filtering of outbound traffic will be necessary until the the evil of the Microsoft Virus, sorry, Operating System is eliminated
As to spam, no amount of Bayesian filters and all the rest will ever, I believe, solve the problem. Not because they cannot be made good enought to identify the spam, but becasue deleting the spam
after you have received it will never impact the spammer. This is the crux of the problem.
The RBL-based approach provides a mechanism for stopping the spam
before you get it, thus moving the impact back towards the spammer. Note that because you've not received the spam, you cannot use Bayesian, or any other technique, to analyse it, because you don't actually have "it" to analyse...
Keef,
AOL are, I suspect, trying to scare BT/Yahoo users into changing to AOL. I've had lots of complaints (to the Flyer List) these past few days from BT users whose mail to AOL users is being bounced.
You may well be right (I have no experience of using AOL's services, but if you want to PM me your AOL email address, I would be interested to send a test email from a BTYahoo account and see what I get back); however, on more than one occassion I have become, ahem, "aware" of BT servers getting listed in various RBLs....
Krystal,
RTFM Many Thanks for the detaile reply and the time taken to construct it.
You're welcome
I did get a bit carried away, but it was an good place to air the issues of RBLs to a wider audience
Some of it went over my head I have to say but a lot did register.
Don't worry about it. If you're prepared to PM me an email address, I'll test it out from a BTYahoo account I have.