SpamFire
Last night I downloaded and configured SpamFire from Matterform Media. It Works!! I have been frustrated with Apple Mail's pathetic attempts to rid my inbox of 100+ spam mails each day for weeks and weeks. I was close to resetting my JunkMail filters (again) and starting over when I stumbled across an ad on O'Reilly.
I downloaded the free, 15-day trial of SpamFire, walked through the wizard, and sent it off to work while I slept. I woke up this morning and SpamFire had picked up 25 messages out of my inbox and Apple Mail had two clean, real, actual messages to me. WOW! In traditional Apple fashion, It Just Worked!!
How does it work?
On a simple level, SpamFire applies hundreds of pre-determined filters to every message that enters your inbox. It actually checks your account, applies the filters, scores each mail based on severity, and then downloads those which it deems to be spam. Then, through AppleScript, SpamFire tells AppleMail (or ANY other email program) to fetch your cleaned mail.
What about False Positivies?
You can manually adjust each filter or create your own filters (and scoring levels) to tweak the intensity of the filters.
What about spam that slips through the cracks?
I'll admit – two spam messages in the last 18 hours have slipped by. In order to improve the filters, an email address has been set up to forward (or better yet, redirect) spam mail that failed the filters. The paid/pro version ($29.95) of SpamFire will automagically download new filters to constantly improve the identification of spam.
I have multiple email accounts. Can it filter them all?
In the paid/pro version, YES!! I can now set up SpamFire to filter email not only for my multitude of accounts, but also for my wife, mom, dad, etc. All I need is their email settings (and their permission) and I can add accounts, filters, etc. for their mail.
Andy's Wish
I'd like to see a server version that was as easy to administer. I have been toying with other solutions/ideas for a few months. The power of the filters are similar to the SpamAssassin methodology, but the simplicity of the gui is the true winner here today.
Summary
SpamFire is a great solution to the growing problem of Spam. No matter how hard you try to keep your inbox clean by practicing safe net usage, they WILL find you. SpamFire gives me an extra layer of peace of mind and keeps my growing inbox focused on the business at hand – not hovering over my delete key. It works on OS X and OS 9. Do yourself a favor and give SpamFire a download.
