IP: blacklisted mail program

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

From: "Ken Rentz" <rentzk () wssi com>


I apologize it this message is inappropriate, but I thought you might find it 
interesting and perhaps informative to any IP readers who have been having
mail 
vanish without a trace.  It's rather sad that a few million users of the 
program are all apparently being painted with the same large and poorly aimed 
brush.


Forwarded message:
Date:    Wed, 26 Nov 1997 01:52:34 +1200
From:    David Harris <David.Harris () PMAIL GEN NZ>
Subject: Pegasus Mail for Windows v2.55


Pegasus Mail for Windows v2.55 is now available from the following sites:


Via FTP:
        risc.ua.edu, in /pegasus  (North America)
        ftp.let.rug.nl in /pegasus  (Europe)
        ftp.usm.maine.edu, in /pub/network/pegasus  (North America)
        pegasus.topnz.ac.nz, in /pegasus  (South Pacific)


If using a web browser, use these URLs:
        http://risc.ua.edu/pegasus
        http://www.let.rug.nl/pegasus
        ftp://ftp.usm.maine.edu/pub/network/pegasus
        ftp://pegasus.topnz.ac.nz/pegasus


Both 16- and 32-bit versions are available: the filenames are
WINPM255.EXE for the 16-bit version, and W32-255.EXE for the 32-bit
version.V2.55 is identical to the v2.54 release except that it no longer
generates the following headers in outgoing Internet mail:


   X-Mailer: Pegasus Mail [version]
   Comments: Authenticated sender is <pop3address>


The reason these headers have been removed is because some Internet
Service Providers and System Administrators have begun using them to
reject or filter out mail in the mistaken belief that Pegasus Mail is a
package designed for the distribution of "spam" (unsolicited bulk
commercial e-mail). Clearly we cannot tolerate a situation where Pegasus
Mail and its users are victimized through ignorance - the viability of the
program could be in question if such indiscriminate rejection were
permitted to occur.


A part of the basis for this discrimination is a recent bulletin from CIAC
(the
U.S. Department of Energy's Computer Incident Alert service) in which
Pegasus Mail was erroneously described as a bulk mail package. The
author of that bulletin has now indicated that this was an error and that he
will reissue the bulletin. Unfortunately, the damage has largely been done.


We believe that the amount of mail affected by this kind of discriminatory
filtering is very small at present, but are releasing v2.55 as a means of
circumventing the problem where it arises. If you are not currently having
any problems with rejection of your mail (the likely scenario for the vast
majority of users) then v2.55 gains you no advantages over v2.54 and you
need not download it.


To say that I am angry and upset that it should be necessary for me to
make this release is a terrific understatement - especially since I am
currently the ONLY major e-mail developer with a strong anti-spam stance.
It seems preposterous and ironic to me that I alone seem to have been
singled out in this way.


Now that spam has done me and my users real, personal damage, my
loathing of it, and the people who so blithely dump it on the Internet without
any concern for whom they may inconvenience or hurt has deepened, as
has my resolve to find ways of doing what I can to combat it. But I stress


that I believe firmly that spam is a social problem and cannot be overcome
by technical means - it can only be dealt with through the normal channel
of social regulation, the law.


It is my hope that this will only be a temporary measure, and that I will be
able to restore the X-Mailer header in particular in an upcoming revision,
once this issue has been properly resolved. Pegasus Mail has carried its
X-Mailer header proudly to all parts of the world for nearly eight years now,
and I feel a profound loss at removing it.


I appreciate the expressions of support I have received from my userbase in
response to my previous postings on this matter - I apologise if many of
you did not receive a personal response, but I was essentially overwhelmed
by the volume. In light of this, although I am deeply appreciative of your
solicitude, I would ask that you do not send me supportive messages for
this announcement - I really, really need to get on and start doing some
real work again, having effectively wasted more than a week struggling with
these issues.


Once again, my thanks to all for their ongoing support and for
understanding the reasons why I have had to take such an unusual and
painful step in making this release.


-- David Harris --
Author/Owner, Pegasus Mail System.




------------------ David Harris -+- Pegasus Mail --------------------------
  Box 5451, Dunedin, New Zealand | e-mail: David.Harris () pmail gen nz
           Phone: +64 3 453-6880 | Fax: +64 3 453-6612



--
Ken Rentz          Wise Software Solutions, Inc.




Mailto:rentzk () wssi com         BBS   (503) 526-0612
CompuServe 74151,677           FAX   (503) 520-1759


http://www.gerbtool.com        Phone (503) 626-7800    










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