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Because OS X is a stable operating system that's unaffected by Windows viruses, it's ideal for doing e-mail. I found the same benefits from Spamfire that I found in the IHateSpam program for Windows.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

Mac users get a choice of two spam killers; one works under Windows, too


Aug. 14, 2002


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, The Post-Standard

   We're finally getting good spam-killing software. I've tried two more programs since my report a few weeks ago. Both of them did a good job.
   Spam is e-mail you didn't ask for, sent by someone you don't know. It's mail from companies trying to sell you something, that sort of thing. It's called "spam" in honor of two things -- Hormel's canned meat product and a Monty Python comedy skit that featured the chant "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam," repeated faster and faster until it seemed like it would never stop.
   Getting the e-mail form of spam to stop is a challenge. The program I reviewed last month -- IHateSpam, for Windows only (the review is online at twcny.rr.com/technofile/texts/bit071002.html) -- has been saving me many hours a week. It sticks all suspected spam in clearly marked folders in my mail program, keeping them out of the way until I get a chance to run through them every other day or so. (Since I've already been assured that most of them are, in fact, spam, I can run through the subject lines quickly so I can delete the junk and rescue the odd family message that got caught in the filter.)
   IHateSpam is Windows software. It won't run on Macintoshes. So this week I'm reporting on two Mac spam-blocking programs. They are Spamfire ($29 for the full version; from www.matterform.com) and PostArmor (free for individuals; from www.postarmor.com), both of which run on Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X. PostArmor also runs on Windows.
   PostArmor is a Java program. Java is a programming language that works the same on all modern computers and is therefore "operating-system agnostic" (geek-talk for "able to run on Windows, Linux and Macs"). Java's been around a long time without much success in the area of general software.
   PostArmor isn't likely to make Java any more successful. It proved hard to set up and use on my main Windows PC and my Mac. The software has a lot of potential and the price is right (free unless you are going to use it within a company), but Spamfire works better on Macs and IHateSpam is clearly better on Windows.
   Spamfire comes in two versions: "Pro," which will work with multiple e-mail accounts (with no limit on the number, apparently) and "Lite," which works with only one account. The "Pro" automatically downloads updates for its spam filters. (It's not clear if "Lite" owners can manually download updates.)
   Spamfire's status window displays helpful information, however, giving you a chance to see what mail is waiting (by looking at the subject lines) without needing to run the full mail program. It also shows the mail you won't receive -- a list of spam, showing only the subject lines. The list is just for information and needs no action from you, since the spam in the list has already been deleted.
   You can have Spamfire filter spam at short or long intervals, or you can run the spam cleaning manually. I set up Spamfire to automatically run the OS X mail program when it finds any new non-spam mail.
   Because OS X is a stable operating system that's unaffected by Windows viruses, it's ideal for doing e-mail. I found the same benefits from Spamfire that I found in the IHateSpam program for Windows, and I was able to keep my attention focused on useful mail.
   If Spamfire sounds good to you, download a demo and try it out. I doubt that you'd ever want to return to unprotected e-mail.