On Sun, Apr 23, 2006 at 11:11:12AM -0500, Gijsbert Stoet wrote:
BTW, there is an inkscape unrelated issue with this list, namely that there is a lot of spam in the inkscape-user list. I am sure I am not the first one commenting on this, so forgive me. What is the best way of dealing with it?
Sorry about this; the mailing list software flags a lot of the spam (which I mercilessly review and delete before it goes out to the list each day), but there is still a lot that the filters don't catch, and that the software just passes right through.
There are several ways you (and others) can do to deal with it.
First, send a request to SourceForge for them to improve spam prevention measures. You can do this here:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/alexandria
Getting SourceForge to do these improvements is the best solution, since it addresses the problem for everyone, and aside from following up on the complaint, is the least effort for you. Unfortunately, the risk is that they may not do this, or it may take a long time for them to get to it.
Another approach is to use spam filtering measures on your own end. SpamAssassin is a common solution, that I use myself with good results, but there are others. I also augment my spam protection with some custom filters of my own, and use a program called procmail to apply them. I still get some spam through to my actual email box, but it's at a tolerable level. It takes more work on your part to set this all up, but you have complete control over it once done, and then you can use it for all your email.
A third option we have is to turn off posts from non-list members. This could drastically cut down spam, but it has a big downside: Any Inkscape user with a question or issue, will be forced to have to sign up for the mailing list before posting. We made the decision to leave things open because we wanted to keep the barrier of entry as low as possible for new users to get their questions asked and answered.
Bryce