[Freeciv-Dev] Re: SPAM in the Mailing LIST - A proposal ...

[Thanasis Kinias <tkinias@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

scripsit Daniel L Speyer:
> On Sun, 12 May 2002, Thanasis Kinias wrote:
> > scripsit Davide Pagnin:

> > > Thus I want to suggest to make the list closed, so that only subscribers
> > > can post to ML (I'm suggesting this only for the development and AI ML).
> > 
> > and freeciv-data, too.
> > 
> > I cannot believe that this is anything other than oversight.  Is it
> > possible that anyone prefers to receive spam?
> > 
> 
> I'm sure not, but IIRC, we receive a nontrivial quantity of non-spam from
> non-subscribers.  Before I joined, I spent a little while reading the
> web-archive daily, and even posted a few things.  I subscribed when I
> got tired of the delay.  I don't think I'm the only one to do something
> like that.
> 
> I think it's important to keep the developement process welcoming to
> all.  Surely there's a less destructive way to catch spam?

There really isn't any other way to catch spam, at least not without
massive effort or willingness to block non-spam.  As a crude (but often
proposed) example, you can block mail originating from .cn and .kr
addresses; that stops a high percentage of spam, but obviously will
block legitimate mail too.  Blocking non-subscribers is simple and
doesn't harm anyone.  It is trivial to subscribe to the freeciv lists,
and with the ability to block delivery there's no reason _not_ to
subscribe if one wishes to participate.

Is there really any reason not to ask people to subscribe before
posting?

-- 
Thanasis Kinias
Web Developer, Information Technology
Graduate Student, Department of History
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A.

Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul,
Ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul