Charlie Brady wrote:
On Sat, 4 Nov 2006, Tom Smith wrote:
I've tried a number of programs to stop spam, some worked better than
others... But all have their cons. I have yet to find something that
I'm totally satisfied with.
You'd surprise us enormously if you said anything different.
So now I'm reading about how others have implemented spam software
like SpamAssassin, ASK, TMDA, et al. I'm reading about the pros and
cons of such systems and working on a framework to address those
problems and (hopefully) create something that will work
exceptionally well and stand the test of time--that is, something
that can't be defeated by spammers.
Isn't qpsmtpd already such a framework?
Yeah, I think qpsmtpd is a great program. But I think it can be much
better and much more versatile than it already is. My biggest issue with
it is its ties to qmail.
Now don't get me wrong, qmail is also a great product. But qpsmtpd being
tied to it in such a way limits its use. I think qpsmtpd would be much
more versatile if it was a completely separate and independent program.
And it didn't rely on numerous qmail configuration files or on things
like daemontools. I think it would be much more widely accepted, too.
For example, what if it were /just/ a proxy. That is, it listens on port
25 and forwards the SMTP conversation to the local SMTP server while
monitoring the chat. If it detects something wrong, like a positive
dnsbl detection or a virus, it interrupts the connection to the local
server and sends the appropriate error to the sending server. That's
just one example...
A set up like that would be virtually transparent and very easy to
implement. The actual mail server--be it sendmail, postfix, qmail, exim,
or whatever--would handle all the SMTP authentication, recipient
validation, and whatnot. In my example, qpsmtpd would simply be there to
prevent spam, or viruses, from entering the mail system--that's it. No
need for auth plugins, goodrcptto plugins, and so on. Work could be
focused on spam prevention while allowing the mail server to do its
thing--receive and deliver mail.
Again, my intent isn't to bad mouth qpsmtpd--I think it's a great
product. I just think there are ways to make it a better and more
versatile product.
