procmail
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Re: use autoresponders with caution, not with abandon

1997-04-07 05:52:00
On Sun, 6 Apr 1997 23:12:43 -0500 (CDT), David wrote, and I quote:

:Ty Fairchild wrote,
:
:| I am reluctant to include my filter bypass word with each and every bounce.
:| Not being familiar with the specifics, if I had some reassurance that
:| spammers (not the bots) would not manually cull it and use it to get
:| through I would gladly place the bypass word in my bounced Subject message
:| for the convenience of the sender.  
: 
:Then I challenge you, Mr. Fairchild: there is negligible chance that spammers
:would take the trouble to cull the bypass word manually, and there is none if
:you scatter pieces of it throughout the rejection text or describe it indi-
:rectly instead of coming out and stating it.  

All right.  I'm game.  If worse comes to worse, I can always reinstate my
present configuration.  As of this writing, I have included my filter bypass
word in the Subject line of the bounce.  I will give it a 30 day trial. If,
during that period, less than eight UCE's breach my filters and make their way
into my inbox, I shall consider it a success and leave it thusly configured
until such time as it is no longer effective. 


:
:My own preferred way of handling mail that is not recognizable as desirable
:nor as undesirable is to look at it first and then delete it if I don't want
:it. 

As with so many other things in life, that is your personal decision.  I used
to do that also when I'd likely be receiving only a few spams per month. No
big deal. Then things changed dramatically. 

When anywhere upwards of 20 large UCE spams began hitting me every day (one
day it was fifty) it indeed became a time consuming burden to sort through the
rubbish day after day just to get to the important mail.  As stated
previously, this is the reason I chose to initiate reverse global filtering in
the first place and not for any amoral or otherwise nefarious purposes. :-)


:    One of the very first things I ever posted to this mailing list has not
:changed: procmail is amoral.  You can use it to do mean things or kind
:things.  You can use it to be considerate and you can use it to be rude.  Tim
:proved that one can do something only slightly different from what Wotan and
:Fairchild do and yet show polish, forethought, and consideration.

With respect, your moral pronouncements and judgements are not necessarily
applicable to others, even in similar situations.  Though I encourage you and
everyone to profess their values as appropriate, I also encourage making
allowances for personal differences which may result in courses of action
dissimilar to ones you would select for yourself, but which nevertheless would
not be considered rude or amoral by reasonable people.

:
:I've spoken my piece on this and I'm done.  When anyone decides out of xeno-
:phobia, misanthropy, narcissism, or some combination thereof that impeding
:communication and trumpeting the impediment are more satisfying than communi-
:cating, the rest of us are better off for having been informed.  
:
IMO it appears that you have overreacted, perhaps even misunderstood my
purpose.  Once again: The reason for my filtering mail the way I do, has
absolutely nothing to do with xenophobia, misanthropy, narcissism or any
combination thereof.  People who know me personally would laugh at such a
foolish accusation if they heard or read such directed towards me. 

I filter mail as described because I see no reasonable alternative in my
situation. Period. Nothing dark or mysterious about that.  My desire would be
to have it otherwise (as it was) but circumstances no longer permit that. If,
at some point in time, the quantity of UCE reaching my account reduces to near
former low levels I fully intend to abandon reverse global filtering/bypass
word and resume what I deem to be normal configurations.  I make no apology
for conducting my life in a manner which provides a modicum of comfort and
convenience.

:                                                                  If by these
:last couple posts I've gotten onto Fairchild's and Wotan's enemies lists, at
:least they added me by proactive decision for my individual case,

Assuming you do not have a paranoid persecution complex, I see nothing in what
you have written that would even _remotely_ be cause for me to place you on an
"enemies list".  The funny thing is: I have no such list, nor would I ever
maintain such a list.  For you to suggest I do is at the very least unfair and
wholly unwarranted.  

:                                                                    not from
:their contention that it should be the default treatment for all humanity.

Now David, you've really got me smiling.  I have never said, nor have I ever
implied that my E-mail filtering system is my default treatment for all
humanity.  How you made that enormous leap from a small, personal E-mail
configuration to something that encompasses my real world interaction with all
humankind is certainly interesting. :-) 

To restate once again: The scope of my procmail filtering, for me, applies
singularly to E-mail sent to my account.  It in no way reflects my _personal_
attitudes, concerns, actions, values or judgements for the rest of the _real_
world. But if you choose to believe that I am of the Evil Empire, then David
go right ahead.  I feel no great desire to attempt to convince you I am not.
Whatever turns you on. :-)

And just to show that I truly do not harbor any ill will at all towards you, I
invite you to E-mail any time you wish.  Replies will be flameless. :-) 



 
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                            Ty
"Too busy to help a friend is too busy."  Tudor Williams (1941 -   )