[Spambayes] RBL check in front of SpamBayes?

[Tony Meyer]

> Any thoughts about having some sort of RBL-check vet the incoming
> mail against the RBLs before SpamBayes gets a look at it?

Most blacklist checks are really better done server-side, at the time  
of mail delivery.  At that time, you have access to much more  
reliable information about where the email is coming from (after that  
time, you really only have whatever the spammer put in the email and  
a few headers added along the way).

However, doing some DNS-based checks (e.g. SURBL) does appear to  
help.  I have code that does various lookups, which at some point  
I'll get around to adding as an experimental option to the tokenizer  
(possibly only when messages are unsure, like the 'slurping' options,  
since these are pretty time-consuming).  Some of the work on these  
was done in work-time, so I'll have to clear with that employer that  
it's ok to add it, but it should be ok.

> I'm using the SpamBayes Outlook plug-in. After long use I'm still
> getting too much UNSURE stuff which is invariably straight spam.

If you send us the clues (SpamBayes->Show spam clues for this  
message) then we may be able to offer advice.

=Tony.Meyer

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