Implement Baysian filtering for Junk Mail in Outlook

[Guest]

Currently, it is necessary on my administered networks, to implement not only
Microsoft downloadable junk mail rules in my clients, but it is also
necessary to implement a Baysian filtering solution so that the junk mail
process can learn from the user what is to be considered "junk" by that user
on a more robust level. Baysian filtering that I currently use is handling
through SpamBayes due to it's freeware nature but the unpdates must be
handled on an account by account basis for updates and there is no
centralized control of institutional spam rule filtering. If Baysian
filtering were enabled as a portion of the Junk Mail Rules, then th minor
updates necessary to update the scoring mechanism will be much less involved.
Perhaps this functionality is roled into the new AntiSpyware product but as
of yet, I haven't roled this product out in production as my understanding is
that it is still in beta. Please advise whether this solution implements
Baysian learning. If so, when will the product become RC1 and if not, what
are the Office Groups plans for future licensing of the Baysian methodolgy

----------------
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[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

outlook uses Bayesian filtering now, but it is not user configurable in that
it's pretrained and it doesn't accept additional training. If this doesn't
meet your needs, then you'll need a better spam filter.

In a corporate situation you should be filtering the email on the mail
server, not in outlook, so that users aren't wasting time twiddling with it.
(This is why the outlook filter is preconfigured - users just want it to
work, they don't want to mess with it.)

I have no idea what the antispyware does - spyware is a non-issue here so we
don't use the ms beta. A filter in front of the mail server dumps the crap
and between outlook's protection, antivirus software, locked down computers,
and the firewall, we don't have a spyware problem.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Need Help with Common Tasks? http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/

 

[Roady [MVP]]

Why rely on a clientbased filter if you want it centrally managed? Best is
to use a mailserver or hardware firewall based anti-spam solution for this.

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
www.howto-outlook.com

Tips of the month:
-FREE tool; QuickMail. Create new Outlook items anywhere from within Windows
-Properly back-up and restore your Outlook data

-----
message Currently, it is necessary on my administered networks, to implement not
only
Microsoft downloadable junk mail rules in my clients, but it is also
necessary to implement a Baysian filtering solution so that the junk mail
process can learn from the user what is to be considered "junk" by that user
on a more robust level. Baysian filtering that I currently use is handling
through SpamBayes due to it's freeware nature but the unpdates must be
handled on an account by account basis for updates and there is no
centralized control of institutional spam rule filtering. If Baysian
filtering were enabled as a portion of the Junk Mail Rules, then th minor
updates necessary to update the scoring mechanism will be much less
involved.
Perhaps this functionality is roled into the new AntiSpyware product but as
of yet, I haven't roled this product out in production as my understanding
is
that it is still in beta. Please advise whether this solution implements
Baysian learning. If so, when will the product become RC1 and if not, what
are the Office Groups plans for future licensing of the Baysian methodolgy

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...6ed68ef7f&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.general

 

[Guest]

While the Outlook Junk Mail Rules funcitonality is much improved over the
past incarnations, and while I regularly see downloading updates to the rules
for how it operates, the lack (as reported anyway) of an ability to train the
functionality (outside of the canned regular updates) hampers the product's
usefulness to customers. As for why I don't *paraphrased* "filter at the
server", as I am a contractor, I don't always have that as an option. There
are several options available for server-based email that stop the bulk of
junk mail prior to its arrival at the client application and when that's an
option, or when the client is amenable, the choices are clear and easy to
explain and implement. However, not every company is willing or able to
implement the entire infrastructure necessary to manage server based email.
Some clients simply rely on spam filtering at the client application. For
those, I end up installing SpamBayes to handle the customizations and disable
Outlook's Junk Mail filtering while leaving OL 2003's option not to download
pictures enabled. It would seem that if MS is going to all the trouble to
enable Bayesian filtering, the least they could do is allow the client to
interact with it using something a little more sophisticated than simple
"blocked sender" and "allowed sender" lists.

The issue is not one of whether "most customers" *will* fully utilize the
software available, the users I work with *DO*interact with the software that
is available. The issue that MS should be addressing is one of how to extend
the existing software to make it meet more customer's needs. Customer ARE
sophisticated enough to be able to figure out something as simple as dropping
unwanted email into a junk mail folder and thereby training the software to
be *more likely* to consider such mail as unwanted in the future. That is
the *point* of Bayesian filtration.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

The reason it's not configurable: Microsoft studies (it's been studied to
death for years) have shown that users are less likely to use it a feature
that needs reconfigured regularly. It also cuts into the time that users
have to do other things, so they stop using it.

In a corporate environment, the time each user spends dealing with spam is
better spent on work - the cost of implementing a server side solution is
much less expensive in the long run.


--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Need Help with Common Tasks? http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/

 

[Roady [MVP]]

And for the re-installers among us; you would end up training the filter
again.
For the testers among us; you will train it wrongly and need to reset it
every time.
Think of home users not aware of this played around a bit first and wonder
why the filter doesn't work as expected.

I personally like the way it is implemented; no learning needed, works out
of the box and you can set exceptions on the go.

On a different note; the same is true for the handwriting recognition on a
Tablet; it works out of the box. I've got 3rd party voice recognition
software as well but I've never reinstalled it on my new machine as the
training takes ages :-S

--
Robert Sparnaaij [MVP-Outlook]
www.howto-outlook.com

Tips of the month:
-FREE tool; QuickMail. Create new Outlook items anywhere from within Windows
-Properly back-up and restore your Outlook data

-----
The reason it's not configurable: Microsoft studies (it's been studied to
death for years) have shown that users are less likely to use it a feature
that needs reconfigured regularly. It also cuts into the time that users
have to do other things, so they stop using it.

In a corporate environment, the time each user spends dealing with spam is
better spent on work - the cost of implementing a server side solution is
much less expensive in the long run.


--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Coauthor, OneNote 2003 for Windows (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Need Help with Common Tasks? http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/