The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group VetoMail Geoff Skews |
That will teach me to suggest a review be done on something.
I downloaded the 30 day trial of VetoMail the other day and have been pleasantly
surprised at its efficiency. This has got to be one of the simplest and most
effective applications I've ever seen - anti spam software at its best.
How It Works
VetoMail sits between your e-mail and the Internet and must be loaded before
your e-mail application. In fact, your e-mail application tells VetoMail (VM) to
go get the mail. VM then passes on (friendly) or blocks (spam) items you've
identified. It holds for your action items it can't identify and sends an
authentication message to "unknown" senders. When/if the sender responds by
clicking the link in the message, their address will be approved and all their
future mail directed to your inbox. VM will even block items that have words
you've identified as unacceptable.
It also uses global spam databases to identify known spam without your having to
do anything. Its blurb indicates a simple installation - and it is. All the
contacts in my Microsoft Outlook 2003 were listed - a list you can add to at any
time, and only requires the unchecking of Fax and Phone items - some of which I
missed, as you can see in the "Review Approvals" window in Figure 1. (Names have
been messed up to protect some who may be innocent).
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The picture illustrates how simple the program is. Green ticks are OK; red,
slashed circles are blocked. The icons at the bottom come to life when an
address is selected. When VM is doing its postie impersonation you see the
activity in the bottom bar.
My only concern initially was that it seemed I'd lost my ADSL connection as I
wasn't getting mail. But my ISP (TPG.com.au) wouldn't do that. My normal daily
spam dump through four e-mail accounts was about 25 and growing. Now I don't see
any! This thing works.
The claim of simplicity is well founded, as demonstrated in Figure 2. The
entries under the three upper tabs are simple and easy to understand. Just as in
Windows Explorer, you can select single or multiple items in the list. The green
and red icons at the bottom of the window enable you to accept/reject once,
always accept/reject from the selected sender/s or accept/reject from anyone in
the senders' domains. The icons are greyed out unless an address is highlighted.
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I found the Help options very clear and they covered all the questions I had. The index is very comprehensive, see Figure 3.
VetoMail can be used on multiple accounts on the same PC and on your desktop PC,
notebook etc. Many ISPs already have some spam protection, but I don't think any
give the level of protection VM can provide. And this is only $US1.99 per month.
I guess that won't always be the case, but given the time saved deleting the
incoming spam - even if you don't briefly check - most will find definite
efficiencies in the investment. |
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Reprinted from the February 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
