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There is a separate version of SpamBayes that works with non-Outlook e-mail software by intercepting mail in a proxy and then passing it along to your mail program.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
SpamBayes, a free, Open Source spam blocker, does a superb job


Sept. 21, 2003


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard

   I've been testing an effective new spam blocker for Windows. The program, SpamBayes, does the best job I've seen yet in keeping unwanted junk e-mail away from my inbox.
   SpamBayes comes in two versions -- a proxy that intercepts mail before your e-mail program sees it and a module that installs inside Microsoft Outlook. I've been using the Outlook version.
   In my tests, SpamBayes blocked nearly all the spam arriving in my three main e-mail accounts. Every day I get about 600 to 700 messages of all types, but in the weeks I've been testing it SpamBayes has been winnowing the mail down to about 150 legitimate messages each day.
   (I get much more spam than most users because my main e-mail address has been posted on my Web site for years, giving spammers many opportunities to harvest and sell my address. I also get a lot of bounce-back messages from e-mail servers that are too dumb to know that they have been spoofed by viruses that have stolen my e-mail address from the address books of Windows users who have written to me.)
   SpamBayes is not only good at catching spam; it's great at protecting your budget. It's an Open Source project, and as such is available at no cost. There's no charge for it, and no extra cost if you want to install dozens of copies on multiple computers.
   Open Source projects sometimes fizzle and go nowhere, but this one is clearly headed for the big time. SpamBayes is a slick program that outshines many expensive commercial spam blockers. If you use Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002, you should give this jewel a try.
   You can download SpamBayes it or find out more by going to the project's Web site, http://spambayes.sourceforge.net.
   SpamBayes gets its name from "Bayesian" filtering, which examines the content of each message for signs of spam, using a form of artificial intelligence. Apple uses Bayesian filtering in the built-in spam blocker that comes with every new Macintosh, and some commercial programs use Bayesian methods also.
   If you don't use Outlook 2000 or Outlook 2002, you're not out of luck entirely. There is a separate version of SpamBayes that works with non-Outlook e-mail software by intercepting mail in a proxy and then passing it along to your mail program. You lose the neat integration that SpamBayes has with Outlook, but you might want to try installing the proxy version if you're not using Outlook.
   (Odd as it may seem, Outlook Express is a "non-Outlook" program. Microsoft did no one a favor by naming its run-of-the-mill free e-mail software "Outlook Express." It is not related, in an express manner or otherwise, to Outlook.)
   Linux users have their own version of SpamBayes, using the proxy function, and the SpamBayes Web site also mentions a Mac OS X command-line version.
   SpamBayes represents an unusual opportunity for organizations such as libraries, youth clubs and community-resource agencies that need protection against pornographic spam. Because there are no hidden costs or multiple-user licensing fees, SpamBayes could protect children who would be exposed to that kind of vile e-mail at no cost whatsoever.
   Businesses would benefit, too, of course. Large offices usually can afford spam blockers connected to an office network, but smaller ones usually can't afford commercial, server-based antispam software. SpamBayes could be ideal for them.