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

["Ben Mazur" <bmazur@xxxxxxx>]

From: "Thanasis Kinias"

> 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?
>

Some mailing lists have an option to allow subscribers to post
regularly, and send all messages from non-subscribers to an
administrator for approval.  The administator, could of couse, delete
spam while allowing any valid posts.  If this option is possible here,
it would seem like a good way to allow non-subscribers to post and
still block spam.

Ben