[ILUG] Spam and more spam

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Colm Buckley (colm at tuatha.org):

> Unless I can eliminate the spam and virus mail before it hits mailman, 
> this isn't really an option....

And that _is_ of course the key to the matter.  Thus my prior post,
which primarily concerned the gain from SMTP-time callbacks and other
MTA-level intelligent detection and handling.

In addition to my own mailhost's lists, I'm also listadmin for a bunch
of mailing lists concerning Linux Gazette (the real one, that lives at
http://linuxgazette.net/) -- and regret frequently having agreed to do
that, because the MTA admin does _not_ do SMTP-time filtering, resulting
in that same barrage of junkmail in the mod queue you mention.  (At my
insistence, all those lists are configured for subscriber-only posting,
resulting in me rather than the membership being plagued by junkmail.)

I've considered withdrawing my offer to admin those lists until the
machine owner implements smarter MTA behaviour, but will probably endure
the hassle for a while longer.


Re-implementing Marc Merlin's work inside the Postfix framework sounds
like a job that's (1) very worthwhile, but also (2) a lot of work, and
therefore (3) a-priori unlikely to occur.  I'd be delighted to be proved
wrong about that, as I have enormous respect for that MTA.

My pessimistic prediction, then (based on long acquaintance with the
quirks of sysadmin psychology -- not least my own) is that a decision
that Marc's ideas should be re-implemented in Postfix instead of using
Exim4 equates to deciding against the idea, merely on the installment
plan rather than right away.

-- 
Cheers,                                Bad Unabomber!
Rick Moen                              Blowing people all to hell.
rick at linuxmafia.com                    Do you take requests?
               --  Unabomber Haiku Contest, CyberLaw mailing list