Having downloaded and installed SpamSieve I understand that it has to progressively learn over time what is junk and not junk etc. So, when I identify junk do I have to move junk mail to the junk folder and keep it there or can I delete it after labeling it as junk? In other words does it recognise and register the junk immediately I have labeled it or do I have to save it all for some time?

Sorry .... forgot to mention I am using Thunderbird as my email client.

I don't see anything in the SpamSieve documentation about saving junk email for any amount of time. You should be able to delete it as soon as you have identified it as junk. If it did not work this way, the program would be of little value. Nobody wants to save spam.

Since you're asking specifically about SpamSieve and Thunderbird, do you have any gripes with the Bayesian spam filter that is integrated with Thunderbird 2? I don't think it has all of the features of SpamSieve (like supporting multiple email clients on the same machine) but it uses the same basic technology as SpamSieve and costs nothing.

Since you're asking specifically about SpamSieve and Thunderbird, do you have any gripes with the Bayesian spam filter that is integrated with Thunderbird 2? I don't think it has all of the features of SpamSieve (like supporting multiple email clients on the same machine) but it uses the same basic technology as SpamSieve and costs nothing

I didn't know that. I have set all my filters in Thunderbird but still receive loads of image spam i.e. no body message only a scan of a block of text or an advert for all the usual dubious sites. Consequently upon posting on this forum arrived at the SpamSieve "solution".

Are you saying that eventually Thunderbird will filter out this rubbish if I keep labeling this spam as junk as at present? If so it is important to know and act upon it. I have no issues with Thunderbird whatsoever but thought it might need some help with this problem. Possibly I was wrong and appreciate your advice.

Also yes, I have 3 email addresses on this Mac, does this mean Thunderbird is unable to filter on all three accounts?

.... does this mean Thunderbird is unable to filter on all three accounts?

Sorry ... just realised you mean email clients NOT multiple addresses with same provider.

Some links to information on Thunderbird's junk filter

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Mozilla_Suite ... l_Controls
http://opensourcearticles.com/introduct ... nderbird_5

Like many open source projects, the documentation for Thunderbird seems to lag a bit behind implementation of new features. Your installation may not look exactly like the examples, but the functionality will be mostly identical.

For Spam sieve: You would highlight what is junk in your regular mail and under messages menu : spamsieve - train as spam. Also you need to train what is good that mail identified as junk. It is important to read all the options in the docs. Spamsieve is pretty good stuff. Make sure you are running the latest version too. Each upgrade gets better and better. Every now and then I will look into the block list to make sure it or I have not made a mistake.
Don

Thanks Michael,

But is the conclusion I don't need SpamSieve if I keep updating Thunderbird, i.e. is there any advantage in having the two apps doing the same job???

I have no objections to paying a subscription to SpamSieve if it will work effectively alongside Thunderbird and help to keep this spam out.

Or is it a complete waste of money in my case??

If I were trying to use the same junk filtering system with multiple email clients (one or more of Mail, Thunderbird, Eudora, etc.) then I think SpamSieve, or something similar, might be worth the money and time. If your only email client is Thunderbird, then I think SpamSieve is a redundant waste of money. I would not pay for SpamSieve unless the Bayesian filter system in Thunderbird proves inadequate.

Spamsieve is much more robust than the built in spam filters in any email client. What the built in filter misses, SS will catch. That's one of the reasons it's recommended so highly by all the mac rags.

SpamSieve is very configurable and includes features that Thunderbird and Mail do not. The real issue, in this case, is whether or not the "robustness" is worth the cost. It's hard to beat FREE. C-Command, the developers of SpamSieve, advertise the following endorsements of their product




This is the only information I could find on C-Command's site that directly compares the performance of SpamSieve and Thunderbird.

There is no question that SpamSieve is an excellent product. My argument is that Thunderbird's filtering system, which uses a similar Bayesian system to SpamSieve's, may be good enough for a person who only uses Thunderbird.

Gentlemen - a sincere THANK YOU!

I shall now retire to a darkened room and "suck it n' see"!