[Spambayes] This list just got slashdotted today.

[Tim Peters]

[John Draper]
> I have a feeling there will be s BIG influx if people joining
> this list,  according to an article on Slashdot.
> http://slashdot.org/articles/02/09/17/1746248.shtml?tid=111
>
> Some fairly knowledgeable people have responded....   some may
> come here on this list.

I'm happy to see knowledgeable ones; I'd be even happier to see anal
detail-oriented testers with no life to distract them <0.9 wink>.

> Several have independently implemented Graham's system.  Getting
> good results.

Many people have implemented Graham's scheme.  Our README.txt points out
what's been different about this project:

    The focus of this project so far has not been to produce the fastest
    or smallest filters, but to set up a flexible pure-Python
    implementation for doing algorithm research.  Lots of people are
    making fast/small implementations, and it takes an entirely different
    kind of effort to make genuine algorithm improvements.  I think we've
    done quite well at that so far.

And we did better still after I wrote that.  I have cautious hopes that
Gary's ideas will make it even better, but that's another way in which this
project has been different:  I'm hardline about not accepting ideas that
don't prove themselves by testing.  Indeed, I've probably insulted half the
people already on this list by dismissing ideas with a "then do the work to
test it or go away" snipe.  As a result, we've been getting some spectacular
results (albeit in both directions <ahem>).