[Spambayes] Call for help

Tony Meyer tameyer at ihug.co.nz
Mon Aug 2 04:28:54 CEST 2004


> The problem I am having is that there are no messages
> to view or for training, allthough I received quite a
> few emails, many of which spam.

This is because no mail is going through SpamBayes, so it doesn't know about
any of it.  The FAQ includes a diagram that shows how the POP3 proxy works -
note that mail has to pass through SpamBayes for it to have any effect at
all.

> I had a difficult time with the 'Using the Service' chapter,

If you know what a Windows service is, and you want SpamBayes to run as one,
then that bit is for you.  If you don't, then you don't need it.  That's why
there is the sentence: "If you don't know what a "Windows service program"
is, don't worry about it; you don't need to use this" there.

> But I could not work out point 2. SetUp your mail client.
> I cannot find anything about 'mail client' or 'local host'
> options.

Your "mail client" is the program that you use to read email with.
Something like Eudora, Thunderbird, or Outlook Express (which it looks like
you are using).

<http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A+%22mail+client%22>

"localhost" is a special name for the computer you are using.

<http://www.google.com/search?&q=define%3A+localhost>

You need to change Outlook Express to get mail from your computer (i.e.
SpamBayes), which in turn gets it from your mail server (e.g. your ISP),
rather than directly from the mail server.  Again, the diagram in the FAQ
might make this more clear.  To change this in Outlook Express:

In Outlook Express, choose "Accounts" from the "Tools" menu.  Click on your
mail account (going to the "Mail" tab might help you figure out which one it
is) and click "Properties".  Click the "Servers" tab.  This will have an
entry for "incoming mail", which will be your mail server.  Change this to
read "localhost".  Click "OK" and then "Close".

> Could that be the reasons that my e-mails are not read
> by your program?

Yes, this is the reason.

> I could imagine that quite a few people would find it
> difficult to follow these steps.

We know that this is an issue (except for, IMO, the Outlook plug-in).  To be
fair, we haven't even released an initial 1.0 version yet (although we
almost have, and it won't differ in this respect).  There's lots of places
in the documentation and on the website where we ask for help in improving
this sort of thing - that's the main way that it will improve, by people
volunteering to help.

It's also an area where 1.1 will definitely be better.  There's already the
start of a tool to automatically do the configuration for you, which will
solve most of the difficulties.  And it's certainly much easier to configure
and start using sb_server now than it was a year ago.

> For example the word 'server' does not mean much to me.

I think this is a language issue more than anything else (to someone whose
first language is English, which I'm guessing by the .nl domain yours is not
(apologies if I am wrong), server conjures an image of something that
serves, and even if you don't know anything about computers, you get that
something is serving (giving) you mail, and that's close enough).

> I think that that is another computer.

Yes, that's close enough to a definition.

<http://www.google.com/search?&q=define%3A+server>

=Tony Meyer

---
Please always include the list (spambayes at python.org) in your replies
(reply-all), and please don't send me personal mail about SpamBayes. This
way, you get everyone's help, and avoid a lack of replies when I'm busy.



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