I'd like to help but frankly I have no idea what or how. I'm a student
just
finishing up an undergraduate degree in computer science and a LAN
administrator in charge of a solitary mail server that handles a few
thousand messages per day.
That's more than mine does - but then, my mail server only handles mail
for *me*.
As much as I enjoy reading the posts to this
list, I also find them a bit intimidating. The people here seem to be
in
charge of large networks and handle vast volumes of mail, or in key
positions at companies. Many signatures indicate people who operate
their
own firms.
It doesn't matter who you are, it's what you can do. There are a lot
of smaller mail systems around, and collectively they probably add up
to a large percentage of Internet mail handling. You would do well to
help represent that group.
Some of the discussions revolve around technologies I haven't even
heard of
before. I found the thread on spam metrics in more than one dimension
quite
interesting but lack the statistical background to understand all of
it. I
don't have a guru-level understanding of SMTP, MTA/MUA's and so forth
that
many here seem to.
Some of the discussions here do get very technical. As a mail
administrator, you'd probably not need to understand the technologies
anywhere near as deeply as these discussions go, if you were eventually
to deploy them. Also, you don't need to be Einstein (or even Feynman)
to be a scientist.
I'm still trying to understand all the issues, and don't want to see
the
spammers win, so I'll offer to help -- but I'd like some guidance as
to how.
OK, here's something you might be interested in helping with: a
glossary.
When a term you don't understand pops up, ask what it means
(backchannel if appropriate), and add it to a document you maintain.
Ask Yakov (or whoever handles these things) to link the document when
it seems big enough to be useful. You might be able to pick up several
useful definitions from existing ASRG documents, Google searches, or
ESR's Jargon File, as a starting point.
--------------------------------------------------------------
from: Jonathan "Chromatix" Morton
mail: chromi(_at_)chromatix(_dot_)demon(_dot_)co(_dot_)uk
website: http://www.chromatix.uklinux.net/
tagline: The key to knowledge is not to rely on people to teach you it.
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