On Thu, 21 Nov 2002 14:19:34 +0100 (CET), [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Richard Menedetter)
wrote:

> Hi Samuel!

> 21 Nov 2002, "Samuel W. Heywood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>>> This is not good strategy in my opinion. Hotmail and yahoo have
>>> millions of legitimate users, including my daughter and a good friend.
> SH> My son uses hotmail and a couple of my friends use yahoo.  If they
> SH> want to send an email to me they will send it to me at one of my
> SH> email addresses that accepts hotmail and yahoo.
> But why ??

> I don't see what benefit blocking legitmate yahoo/hotmail users has !!
> it's IMHO plain silly.

> It will not lower the amount of spam you get, but it will frustrate many
users.

It will lower the amount of spam you get.

Consider this analogy:

When a night club won't let some guys in the door because they aren't
wearing a coat and tie, they will lower the number of undesireable
customers they get, but they will frustrate many high-class gentlemen
who don't like to dress themselves up when doing a night on the town.
These kinds of gentlemen have two options.  They can either go back
home and dress themselves up so as to be compliant with the night club's
standards, or they can just go to another club which has a more relaxed
dress code.

If I wear a coat and tie to go to a fancy night club, strangers who don't
know me will think of me as being a very gentlemanly high-class person.
If I try to get in the door while wearing dungarees and a t-shirt they
will think of me as a low-class person and likely an ill-mannered person
as well.

Using a hotmail or a yahoo email address in an attempt to mingle with
the regular customers of a high-class ISP is like dressing in dungarees
and a t-shirt to get into a high-class night club.  Using an email
address of a "respectable" ISP is like dressing up in a coat and tie.

Successful night club managers are not just plain silly.  They know what
they are doing and they know how to run their businesses in a way that
works best for them.  They know what rules to make.

> SH> For most sdf users, the rejection of emails from hotmail and yahoo
> SH> addresses is a good idea.
> Could you elaborate on that ??
> I don't see any advantage, but big disadvantages.

See my analogy above.

>>> What good is an account that can't recieve email from millions of
>>> legetimate users?
> SH> There is another side to your question.  What good is a hotmail or a
> SH> yahoo account if there are some ISPs which won't accept emails from
> SH> hotmail and yahoo?
> such ISPs are idiots, unable to handle their software, which act AGAINST the
> "will of the internet" which is free communication.

I have the right of freedom of association.  Other people also enjoy the
same right.  Unless I belong to the same organization, or work at the same
place, or attend the same school, nobody has to associate with me if he
doesn't want to.  If I belong to the same organization, or work at the
same place, or go to the same school, then I must abide by whatever rules
are in place as regards the proper nature and conduct of my associations.

> I don't know of any ISP here which would block yahoo/hotmail mails, if they
> originate of legit yahoo/hotmail servers.

SDF offers a Unix shell account.  It is similar to an ISP because it
offers email, a browser, a news server, Telnet, FTP, and other services
normally offered by most ISP's.  They block emails bearing hotmail email
addresses, even if they originate from legit hotmail servers.  I believe
they block yahoo as well, but I am not certain about that.

> SH> The decision of some ISPs to reject hotmails and yahoos is a good
> SH> thing because it tends to discourage people from using a hotmail or a
> SH> yahoo account.
> Strange logic.

Not very strange at all.  If I want to go to a night club and mingle with
their crowd, then I must dress myself up according to their standards.
The night club managers have the right to make their rules and the sysops
of the ISP's  have the right to make their rules.  Of course I am well
aware that not all men who dress up in coat and tie are gentlemen and also
I know that not all men who dress in dungarees and t-shirts are scumbags.
I do know that I will make a much better impression on people if I try to
mingle with the patrons of a fancy night club when I am dressed up in coat
and tie instead of in dungarees and a t-shirt.

> let's send out nimda virii to everyone, it will show them how insecure their
OS
> is ...

Why?  Most Window$ users already know how insecure their OS is, don't
they?  Whenever you look up information about viruses you will find that
almost all email viruses affect only Window$ users and users of MSIE and
Outlook.

> SH> Friends should discourage friends from using hotmail and yahoo.  There
> SH> are many other free email services which are much better and more
> SH> reputable and more compatible with various different operating systems
> SH> and browsers and email client programs.
> But they are not widly know.
> Many of my ex-classmates use hotmail, simply because that was what they have
> heared of. blocking these mails is nonsens.
> And it will not reduce the amount of spam you get at all !!!

It will reduce considerably the amount of spam you get.  About one third
of the spams I receive are from people using hotmail and yahoo email
addresses.

Sam Heywood
-- This mail was written by user of The Arachne Browser - http://arachne.cz/

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