Anti-SPAM - Software

Originally Posted by Eldar

In the past I used several tools to reduce spam, like K9, Spampal, Spamihilator, PopFile, Spam Off, Mailwasher, SpamEater Pro, Spam Alarm, Spam Blackout. Enough choice of software whether free or not. he problem with most of these spam blockers was you had to switch from your email client to your spam blocker and vice versa.

Yes, but many offer to launch your mail client once the deleting has been done.
For example, Poptray or Eremover offer the option to connect to ISP, check new mails with headers, pre visualize part or total of any message if one likes it, then delete any of those from a distance, and then automatically start your mail client to download what's left.

Cheers

Originally Posted by bigbuck

Mum (who's 70 and surfs a little and uses email) recently got a bogus email pretending to be from Bigpond (her ISP also), which read "important info about your account", with an attachment that Mum opened! Bang! MyDoom virus! Now this had me wondering why Bigpond would allow stuff to go through that was clearly not from them??

Well, I'd rather deal with my mails myself, because in the example you mention, it would have meant that the ISP would take the liberty to check one's incoming mails to see where they're from, and then analyze what they find and then decide (without any permission from the end-user) to not let it through...
I'd rather have more responsibility on the receiving user's part. Liberty and responsibility go hand in hand.
I guess your Mum's av did its job well and intercepted or removed the threat anyway, didn't it?

Cheers

[Eldar]

Originally Posted by SpamEater

Yes, but many offer to launch your mail client once the deleting has been done.

I know, but I still prefer to have it all in one place and not running two apps doing the same.
PopTray is an email notifier which works with a white & blacklist, but that's all.
You still have to look or add, so it wouldn't download mail from a spammer.
I prefer to let the bayesian filter learn in my email client, but that's my preference.