Wirt after Ken after Denys,

> Ken Sletten writes:
>
> > > X-no-Archive:yes
> >  >
> >  Denys sez:
> >
> >  > I vote we sever the link to Deja News.
> >
> >  I respectfully second.
>
> I don't see how that's possible without disconnecting the newsgroup
> altogether.
>
> However, there is a second alternative. I've noticed in every
> newsgroup that I
> monitor that most of the nonsense is cross-posted to a
> half-dozen newsgroups
> (including this one). If there were a way to automatically
> filter out all
> newsgroup-originated postings that are posted to more than
> one newsgroup, I
> believe that you would get rid of almost all of the "trash"
> immediately.

First, it's not DejaNews - it's any Usenet Newsreader and server which sends
this stuff around.  One cannot put the blame on DejaNews, although that's
where a lot of it comes from.

So, I looked into the situation and here is some of what I have been able to
come up with.

1.  We can look at filtering DejaNews posts, thus keeping them from
HP3000-L.  This does also keep legitimate users who don't normally have
access to Usenet from posting to HP3000-L as well.

2.  We can filter the UCE sent to the LIST which crosses over to Usenet.  We
can make sure that most of the UCE does not make it to Usenet.

3.  As for the other way around (Usenet to the List), there is possibly a
way we can do this (and Chris, I may need your help with this)...  We might
be able to take Usenet posts in like we do now, but instead of sending them
directly to HP3000-L, send them to a Netmail "autoforwarder" here as mail.
Chris -- can NetMail handle this?  Give me a call if you want to talk it
over.

(Currently, HP3000-L posts directly to the gateway server (and bypasses the
HP3000 completely - Raven is the only server that is permitted to relay from
our Exchange server.  Anything coming in from Usenet is immediately mailed,
unaltered (except for the addition of our headers) to Raven.)

In cases 2 and 3 above, we would need to change over to use SPAM filters.
NetMail provides the best darned SPAM filters around (and runs on an HP3000
to boot!).  It's not 100%, nothing is 100%, but it comes as close as one can
get.

There are downfalls too.  Those of you who use bogus reply-to and from
addresses will get caught in the SPAM filter trap.  Why?  NetMail has a
setting that if the Reply-To or From address is invalid, then it gets
bounced.  There are just too many members for us to constantly update an
INCLUDES file.  This means that you would need to use your real addresses,
if we go over to using NetMail to filter this stuff.

I can't make this change without first consulting Jeff (who owns this list)
- and an e-mail conversation was "started" last week on this topic.

Secondly, I need to speak with Chris on how we can filter stuff from Usenet.

Lastly, we need a consensus from the list in general, as well as from those
who post to Usenet, that you want SPAM filtering.  Remember - with SPAM
filtering comes some trade-offs.

If we do this, I don't want to hear any complaints about ones post not
making it because it was caught in a SPAM filter - because it will fall on
deaf ears.  If we do go this way, I'll be sure to post a URL as to what
needs to be done to make it past NetMail's SPAM filters (and it's not tough
either).  I won't post this on HP3000-L -- why give away the store so
easily?

So... let's get some administrative stuff out of the way with Jeff, some
technical talk with Chris, and then if we get past that, and Jeff agrees,
we'll open it up to a vote.

Best,
Joe