Return-Path: guido@python.org
Delivery-Date: Fri Sep  6 15:31:22 2002
From: guido@python.org (Guido van Rossum)
Date: Fri, 06 Sep 2002 10:31:22 -0400
Subject: [Spambayes] Deployment
Message-ID: <200209061431.g86EVM114413@pcp02138704pcs.reston01.va.comcast.net>

Quite independently from testing and tuning the algorithm, I'd like to
think about deployment.

Eventually, individuals and postmasters should be able to download a
spambayes software distribution, answer a few configuration questions
about their mail setup, training and false positives, and install it
as a filter.

A more modest initial goal might be the production of a tool that can
easily be used by individuals (since we're more likely to find
individuals willing to risk this than postmasters).

There are many ways to do this.  Some ideas:

- A program that acts both as a pop client and a pop server.  You
  configure it by telling it about your real pop servers.  You then
  point your mail reader to the pop server at localhost.  When it
  receives a connection, it connects to the remote pop servers, reads
  your mail, and gives you only the non-spam.  To train it, you'd only
  need to send it the false negatives somehow; it can assume that
  anything is ham that you don't say is spam within 48 hours.

- A server with a custom protocol that you send a copy of a message
  and that answers "spam" or "ham".  Then you have a little program
  that is invoked e.g. by procmail that talks to the server.  (The
  server exists so that it doesn't have to load the pickle with the
  scoring database for each message.  I don't know how big that pickle
  would be, maybe loading it each time is fine.  Or maybe
  marshalling.)

- Your idea here.

Takers?  How is ESR's bogofilter packaged?  SpamAssassin?  The Perl
Bayes filter advertised on slashdot?

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)