Once upon a time, e-mail messages flowed freely through cyberspace and the congenial smell of e-mails was everywhere. I remember racing to my inbox each day with a wild anticipation that I was about to be informed of new and enlightening events, along with notes from friends. Maybe, the collection would also include an order or two to quell my monetary wishes, as well as, containing some of my favorite newsletters. Ah! Those were the salad days...when my inbox was a welcome sight each morning. Oh, of course there was that occasional sales pitch, but that was just to keep me alert.
But alas, those were days of yore.
Today we are drowning in a deepening cascade of rubbish, as a result of unsolicited e-mails irritatingly referred to as "Spam." "Spam" is a term contrived in a parody a few years back by an English group of comedians (Monty Python's Flying Circus), describing a food product (Spam) exploited in a humorous manner.
While this form of e-mail sludge (Spam) is far from a laughing matter, the irrational reaction to it by some is itself fraught with calamity. If we were simply confronted with this daily deluge of these unwanted emails, that would be annoying enough. However, what is now occurring is far worse! In fact, it’s really scary.
Part of this chaos springs from the fact that there in no clear cut definition to everyone of just what comprises this thing we term SPAM! Further, nothing explains, nor excuses the destructively paranoid reactions of some to this proliferation of spam plaguing us now.
On one hand there are the saintly IP's, installing what is loosely described as "Anti-Spam" software, which I must admit does accomplish two things.Those being the purging of many needed emails, while taking no notice of, most of the porn and sludge. Yet the real damage comes from the growing number of self-appointed ‘crusaders’ ('e-mail Nazi') that inhabit the Internet. They take it upon themselves to police the net vowing to squash any unsuspecting spammer.
These "Not in my inbox" nerds, suffering from delusions of importance, mistakenly harass the IP's of honest marketers and purveyors of newsletters. In fact, many a website has been shut down as the result of a false accusation of spamming. Often, the accusation is all it takes today, due to the hysteria prevalent on the Web, along with the growing fixations of many hosting companies. These spiteful actions have indeed caused devastating financial harm and damage to the reputations of many well known and blameless Internet pioneers.
A few states have enacted legislation against spam, but they still can't define it. The U.S. congress has also mentioned some sort of a bill, but is bogged down with, things more important. Such as, which luxuries to pass new taxes on – like food, cars, etc.
Once congress settles on a definition of this phenomenon and passes a new law, you can count on the spammers to really come out of the woodwork along with their lawyers.
They could sue for obesity to inboxes!
As for me, I long for the days when I can once again utter, "Don't you just love the smell of email in the air!"
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
More Web Hosting Articles Articles
More By Developer Shed
 developerWorks - FREE Tools!
|
Discover how Rational tools and best practices for testing can make your job easier. The new Rational Testing eKits provide you with valuable resources – including demos, webcasts, tutorials, and articles – that help you address your specific testing needs across the software lifecycle. Five new eKits are available covering the topics of Requirements and Test Management, Functional Testing, Performance Testing, Code Quality and Embedded Systems, and SOA and Web Services Testing.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Learn how you can extend modern application lifecycle management to IBM System z through the IBM Rational Software Delivery Platform (SDP). The Did you say mainframe? e-kit includes podcasts, webcasts, tutorials, white and red papers, demos, and articles designed to help ease the challenges of modernizing your enterprise. This complimentary kit for mainframe developers is a practical, how-to guide for making the most of an existing development environment, including the skills and infrastructure already in place at an established enterprise.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
<a href="http://zeus.developershed.com/shonuff.php?blackbird=3853&zoneid=442&source=&dest=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ibm.com%2Fdeveloperworks%2Fspaces%2Fjazz%3FS_TACT%3D105AGY31%26S_CMP%3DDEVSHED&ismap="><img src="http://images.devshed.com/corp/img/news/jazz01.gif" alt="developerWorks Jazz space" align="left"></a>You've heard the buzz about Jazz... want to know more about it from a developer's perspective? Check out the Jazz space on developerWorks. This space is an up-to-date resource for developers, including technical information about Jazz and products built on Jazz, like Rational Team Concert Express. The Jazz space includes content from a wide variety of sources, including links, feeds, and comments from experts.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
WebSphere Process Server delivers a unique integration framework that simplifies existing IT resources. Often, as IT assets grow to support business demand, so too does their complexity and manageability. In this webcast, we’ll discuss how WebSphere Process Server helps deliver an SOA infrastructure that provides a common model to orchestrate, mediate, connect, map, and execute the underlying IT functions. Discover how WebSphere Process Server simplifies integration of business processes by leveraging existing IT assets as reusable services without the complexities of traditional integration methodologies.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
IBM Enterprise Modernization solutions help organizations evolve core IT systems towards modern architectures and technologies—reducing the burden of maintenance and freeing up resources to develop new business requirements and capabilities. With the IBM Enterprise Modernization Sandbox for System z you can evaluate IBM Enterprise Modernization solutions focused on five key areas: Assets, Architectures, Skills, Processes and Infrastructures, and Investment. Each solution is based upon real customer experiences and offers a proven path to get you started with your modernization projects.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Join us for this web seminar to learn how you can defend your web applications from attack. Learn about the 3 most common web application attacks, including how they occur and what can be done to prevent them. We’ll also discuss manual versus automated approaches for scanning and identifying web application vulnerabilities and how IBM Rational AppScan, an automated vulnerability scanner, can help you automate more of what you are doing manually today.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
User communities play an important role in communication and collaboration around products, solutions and other areas of special interest to members. Successful communities are able to provide the right mix of content and services to deliver a value proposition that resonates with each audience. Join Tom Inman, VP of Marketing for Information and Platform Solutions as he introduces the new LeverageINFORMATION community. During this webcast, learn about the value provided by the community and how customers and partners derive value from the community in addressing their own technical and business challenges.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Join the IBM Watchfire team for an informative discussion on techniques and best practices to proactively manage Web application security and how to effectively build application security testing into the software development lifecycle (SDLC). In this Software Delivery Platform webcast you will learn: How to better understand potential web application security vulnerabilities, best practices and how to effectively integrate application security testing into the software development lifecycle, the importance of detecting and removing software vulnerabilities during application development.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
Secure your Web applications with IBM Rational AppScan Standard Edition V7.7, previously known as Watchfire AppScan. This Web application security testing tool automates vulnerability assessments and scans and tests for common Web application vulnerabilities. Visit IBM developerWorks to download a free trial of IBM Rational AppScan Standard Edition V7.7.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
As organizations integrate software into every aspect of business, they are constantly pressured to deliver faster, better, and cheaper results. Unfortunately, a “dis-integrated” software delivery approach reduces returns while increasing costs. This IBM Rational White Paper shows how Integrated Requirements Management aligns organizations around maximizing value and keeping pace with change.
FREE! Go There Now!
|
|
|
|
All FREE IBM® developerWorks Tools!
|
