Updated filter file available

[Doug Miller]

send mail to email autoresponder at filterinfo /at/ milmac /dot/ com

Today's Updates:

1. Drop posts from " [e-mail]" which are invariably off-topic political diatribes. This sender has never posted anything on-topic in rec.woodworking.

1. Pass subjects referencing, e.g., "Cummins Tools", which previously were dropped because the first three letters matched some of the troll posts. Posts containing those three letters, and *not* containing "Cummins", are still dropped.

[Mark Jerde]

I'm in the process of learning Microsoft Visual Studio .NET. I wonder if filter updates could be a web service. The filter program would have to be updated to be able to input/output in ie XML but it seems to me it could work. The first person to download an objectional message would update the filter and upload. Everyone else would never see that message if their filter was configured to "Update from web service before NTTP connect."

This could be the "Moderated Newsgroup" holy grail many are seeking.

I have an ASP.NET enabled web site with SQL Server 2000 so I could host (one of) the Newsgroup Filter web servii. I don't have plain Win32 development tools, though, for non .NET client pieces. (Two hard disk crashes this year and I didn't reinstall the older tools, just .NET stuff.)

Thoughts? Is something like this already at SourceForge?

-- Mark

[Doug Miller]

This is even worse than having a moderator. The biggest objection that most of us have to a moderator is the difficulty in finding one (or a group) that would be acceptable to everyone. This scheme would allow *anyone* to be a censor of *anything* for *everyone*. I would never configure a newsreader to automatically D/L a filter file that could be updated by anyone and everyone.

I think the current scheme is working quite well, thank you very much. I haven't seen *any* of the posts in the latest turdstorms (other than entries in my "dropped articles" list, showing only the message-id), and several other people who are using my filters have posted to say that their experience matches mine. I'll continue to make my filter file available to anyone who wants to use it, and I would hope that those who do, don't use it blindly without at least looking at it first to see what it's doing.

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

[Mark Jerde]

I think this could be dealt with. My one-paragraph description left out pages of thoughts. ;-)

My filters don't catch the product spammers who mess with their email addresses. I think an improved filter could do a good job of guessing at probable spam when an address is "pretty close" to one already blocked.

Actually, I find the concept of a "filter" too limiting. I have no idea what OE is blocking. I'd like the filter integrated into the newsreader, where the filter is more of a "view." You could always see what was blocked if you wished. Naturally there would be levels of severity. A message with

4 of the 9 words in the "Nasty of Nasties List" in its header would be blocked much longer than a message with just one.

Naturally you don't want anyone to be able to block "router" and "table saw" for everyone, or block all posts by "charlie b." But I think this can be done with proper design and implementation.

Thoughts?

-- Mark

[Dave Balderstone]

It's not something I would be interested in, even if such a filter scheme could be designed to accomodated the wide variety of newsreaders/operating systems people on the wreck use.

I prefer to control my computer as much as possible. Ceding something as personal as newsgroup filtering goes against that preference.

Include me out...

djb

[patriarch]

Dave Balderstone wrote in news:170220041025024961%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca:

The latest storm got me to finally do something myself, other than turn the machine off, and go out to the garage/shop/studio.

The fact that I used modified filters posted by a Wrecker, on software recommended by a Wrecker, is another testament to the power of community.

HOWEVER, I believe that I have the responsibility to learn and understand my software tools, just as I need to understand the woodworking tools and finishes, rather than cede decision-making to anyone else, no matter how trusted.

People can, and often do, recommend to me, try to teach me, preach to me, but it my responsibility to decide.

Now, back to the shop to work on the cabinet.

Patriarch

[David Alexander]

I have a suggestion for you. Add a timestamp or version number in the comments at the top. Makes it easier for us to know if we've done the update or not, especially if we set it aside for later.

[Doug Miller]

I'll think about that. I can't guarantee that I'll remember to change the timestamp every time I change the file, though...

-- Regards, Doug Miller

For a copy of my TrollFilter for NewsProxy/Nfilter, email me at filterinfo-at-milmac-dot-com