Baslinux mailing list

[Lee Forrest <lforrestster AT gmail.com>]

On Fri, Dec 29, 2006 at 03:37:11AM +0000, sindi keesan wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Dec 2006, Lee Forrest wrote:
> 
> >On Thu, Dec 28, 2006 at 04:45:18PM -0800, Lee Forrest wrote:
> >>On Thu, Dec 28, 2006 at 06:32:40PM +0000, sindi keesan wrote:
> >>>
> >[delete]
> >>>So do you need my help for this project?
> >>
> >>Yes. I told you I don't do attachments and have no experience
> >>there and am not interested in learning how.
> 
> If zip and jpg and wordprocessor and pdf attachments have similar looking 
> lines in them before the base64 part, would it be enough to send you an 
> email with one generic small binary attachment as a sample?

Maybe. I am relying on _you_ to tell me, specifically, what you
want. I'm not interested in learning how to do attachments. If I
was, I would have studied the link I sent to you.

> >>Sending big, non-text files via email is one of the things that
> >>has served to wreck the email system. It makes it easy for
> >>spammers and virus-spreaders and spyware-spreaders and the like.
> >>And eats up bandwidth and clogs routers/gateways.
> 
> Do you have a better idea for sending scanned copy, or photos?

Putting the files on your website and sending them the link.
Wget works in Windows, too.

If they don't have that utility, then their browser will work.

The same for an FTP server, if you have access to one. All
Windows boxes have ftp. From their browser or directly.

That's why it is called the File Transfer Protocol. Note that it
is a _different_ protocol from SMTP, the Simple Mail Transfer
Protocol.

You can easily run an FTP server at home if you are on-line
for the same hours every day. There are services that will
give you the same IP regardless of what your real IP is. Takes
client software to use.

Us linux folks can just use the, much more efficient, netcat.

No, there isn't any harm in sending your IP to someone you know.
(I send mine out with every mail. Most of us do.). Every time
you connect to the internet, or to a server of any kind, or your
connection utilizes a gateway or router (which it almost always
does) you are sending your IP to total strangers of unkown number
and motivations.

And there are spiders that note your IP within seconds of you
connecting to the internet.

>  I always remind people to scan at 300dpi, black and white not
> photo, and ask for gif not bmp, etc. And write people back when
> they send me 7MB photos straight from the camera promising to
> view them some day at the library.

Whatever.

> >>Originally, you sent _letters_, text, by email, and other
> >>things were sent by FTP, kermit, uucico and the like.
> >>
> >>That's how I think it should be done. I don't like being a
> >>part of the abuse of the email system.
> >>
> >>Because of this abuse, it has been rendered almost useless  .
> >>Most people don't even bother anymore                       .
>
> Spam is the big problem, not attachments.

But having mail apps that process attachments make it easy for
spam and trollmail (obscene photos and the like, disguised as
something else) and viruses and worms and trojans and spyware and
all sorts of cracking strategies to work.

Can't have your cake and eat it too.

Wanna see a massive reduction in spam? Accept only plain-text
mails with no attachments and limited size.

Lee

-- 
BasicLinux: Small is Beautiful
http://www.basiclinux.com.ru