From: James Gray <james@...>
Date: 2009-06-06T07:52:49+09:00
Subject: Re: SPAM from Usenet

On Jun 5, 2009, at 5:17 PM, John W Higgins wrote:

> On Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 3:13 PM, Eric Hodel <drbrain@segment7.net>  
> wrote:
>
>> On Jun 5, 2009, at 14:42, James Gray wrote:
>>
>>> On Jun 5, 2009, at 4:30 PM, Eric Hodel wrote:
>>>
>>>> It seems the gateway is passing a lot more spam these days.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yeah, I'm leery to do any detection because I suspect it would  
>>> become a
>>> maintenance nightmare as posters ask, why was my message blocked?   
>>> So, if we
>>> want to go that route, we probably need to pass it to a maintainer  
>>> with more
>>> time to watch over it first.
>>>
>>> If we all agree it's become more of a hinderance than it's worth,  
>>> I can
>>> certainly shut it down.
>>>
>>
>> For the record, I wasn't even considering suggesting this.
>>
>> I'm also open to other options.
>>>
>>> Looking at my mail headers I see:
>>>>
>>>> Received: from Usenet via a Usenet to mail gateway located at
>>>>> comp.lang.ruby.  This service provided as a courtesy
>>>>> to the ruby-talk mailing list.  If this message is SPAM, its
>>>>> ultimate origin is Usenet, not this gateway program.  All
>>>>> subscribers to the ruby-talk mailing list agree to receive the
>>>>> Usenet postings made to comp.lang.ruby via this gateway.  Please
>>>>> see http://www.ruby-lang.org/ruby-talk-usenet-policy.html.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> That URL is 404.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yeah, that notice has been there since the dawn of time.  The link  
>>> has
>>> never worked on my watch.  I've just never touched it due to not  
>>> knowing the
>>> history of it or what is suppose to be there.
>>>
>>
>> Could you replace the URL with a contact address, even if it's just  
>> "Please
>> email ruby-talk@ruby-lang.org for gateway support"?
>>
>>
> I have to ask why would we want people sending more spam to the list  
> to
> complain about the spam we all just received? (This email being  
> Exhibit
> A.....)

The gateway is a community resource.  If they can't come to us, the  
community, for help, where should they go?

I think Eric's request seems totally reasonable.

If the spam we are getting here increases because users and emailing  
us about problems, well that tells us something:  the gateway is  
annoying people.  When that happens, we will need to agree on a  
solution to that problem.  Right?

James Edward Gray II