[Mimedefang] FTC asks ISPs to crack down on zombie PCs

[John Nemeth]

On Oct 15,  2:20pm, ADNET Ghislain wrote:
} 
} > Agreed. I wouldn't be opposed to blocking port 25 if there were a way
} > to get it unblocked for the clueful, like a web page that takes
} > someone slightly more savvy than a monkey to navigate, and that you
} > don't get free help to fill in. (Maybe require the user to solve a
} > sendmail rule puzzle!)
} 
} imho the cluefull people use  a real server in a hosting center or use
} professional contract with ISP  that allow them to have such rules,

     How about clueful people that are trying to do it on a budget.  I
built and run the mail servers for two service providers.  The largest
one handles about 20,000 incoming messages per day and easily rivals
the broadband providers for reliability.  I know what I'm doing.
However, both service providers are dial-up.  I use a broadband service
provider at home.  My server at home is just as well maintained and
reliable as any ISP (perhaps more so).  Why shouldn't I run it there?
I will grant you that the average home user doesn't have a clue, but
that's not true for all.

} personnal adsl lines should not have such options. Little users should
} use the ISP smtp server or any cheap hosting server that comme with it.
} I do not see why you would use your own adsl or cable modem link to send
} emails. Obviously if you can receive emails for your domain you can also

     Because I can do it better then the service providers.  Some of
these big companies are great at providing bandwidth, but not so great
at running services.

} send them as it requires a domain name and therefor a pop/smtp server ?

     I have my own domain name.  They're cheap.  I also have a POP
server (accessible only from within the house) and an SMTP server.  I'm
thinking of converting the latter to sendmail X.  The house is a place
I can play without worrying about killing production systems; although,
to some degree the house is a production system.

}   Can you broaden my vision of thing and give some exemples where the
} hoster's smtp server and the ISP smtp server is not enough so you would

     Lousy service.  Just want to do it myself, since I am fully
capable of doing it.

} want to use your own internal smtp server to send emails from a
} dsl/cable line ?  As far as my short sight see the only reason i see is
} hidding behing unstable ip and fairly untrackable source (yes this is

     My dynamic IP is more stable then static IPs from the same service
provider.  My IP very rarely changes.  If you're a small organisation
with only one address, you can expect it to move around periodically,
even if it is "static".  Also, it is quite trackable.

} fairly limited but meant to make people react and enlighten me rather
} than drop this mail to the trashcan :) ?

     Trolls should be dropped in the trashcan regardless of their
intentions.

}   Any way if the use are limited i think changing the habbit of a
} minority toi protect the internet as a whole is a good trade off :)

     Wrong!  This is an extremely slippery slope.  We should not be
sacrificing useful functionality because of some miscreants.  We need
to figure out how to thump the latter very hard.  Repealing CAN-SPAM
and replacing it with something that has real teeth would be a good
thing.

}-- End of excerpt from ADNET Ghislain