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Cyhist Sep. 18, 1997 A
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========================================================================= Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 12:30:30 -0400
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "John W. Cobb" <cobbjw@ORNL.GOV>
Subject: Pre-Web Spam ( Was RE: Internet AUP)
In-Reply-To: <0EGO00I0ESFG4Y@ornl.gov>
Mime-Version: 1.0
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______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
In CYHIST Digest - 16 Sep 1997 to 17 Sep 1997 "John S. Quarterman" <jsq@MIDS.ORG> writes:
>...
>Spamming is a new development of the past two or three years. It developed after the web, not before.
Since this is an archived discussion that may be used as reference later, I feel obliged to point out that the above comment is not correct.
Spamming existed before the web. In fact the term "Spam" in this context pre-dates the web-itself as a search of usenet archives will reveal.
Speaking from personal experience, one thread of the many "The end of the internet is near" discussions that were prominent in the Early 90's was that spam was killing the internet.
The history of "Spam" is an interesting topic in and of itself -- a topic I believe we have discussed here before (see for example CYHIST digests dated: 960614, 970223, 970228, & 970301)
I think, perhaps, the grammer police should consider redefining the computer use of "SPAM' as an adjective instead of a noun since there are now so many forms of spam --- irc,MUD,newsgroup, and now e-mail.
Perhaps John Quarterman was implicitly referring to was the phenomena of e-mail spam -- that is when I get unwanted "junk e-mail" in my electronic mailbox. This has certainly been accelerated by the web, but also, it is not only a product of the web.
For example, before the web was widespread, many spammers would sift through usenet groups and build lists of e-mail addresses based on the addresses of newsgroup posters. This occurred apart from the web, and I believe, is still in widespread use by e-mail spammers today.
What the web offers (at least to spammers) is the ability to pluck out e-mail information from the browsers of people who surf the web. Also, web-search engines can be configured to search the web grepping for e-mail addresses. Thus the web has become a rich hunting ground for spammers to harvest new e-mail addresses.
I would be interested in a discussion of the various techniques that spammers use. Since I am usually on the receiving end of these SPAMS, I really am not that familiar with the all techniques that they use to: 1) Find addresses
2) Handle (huge volumes ) of bounces
3) Avoid mailbombs, and other hostile reactions resulting from the spams
Also has anyone every really found spamming to be a viable way to turn a profit on the net or is it just a case of newcomers to the net "not getting it" and giving us all a real pain in the neck while they catch-on?
Since we are basically talking about searching large volumes of text in order to find small sets of matching terms (i.s. "grepping" the net), perhaps we should stop and pay homage to the great god and grandfather of internet grepping, James, "KIBO" Perry.
Would someone would be nice enough to define the term "kibo", it's origins, and the many stories about "The KIBO". When did it first occur, etc. I don't think we've discussed it before here (apologies if I've missed it) and it is an interesting chapter in the history of the net that, IMO, goes a long way to describing the net culture before the internet exploded.
cheers,
-john .w cobb
John W. Cobb cobbjw@ornl.gov
Computing,Information, and Networking Division V. 423.576.5439 Oak Ridge National Laboratory F. 423.220-1031
MS-6144
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6144
Talk to teach, Listen to learn.
______________________________________________________________________
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "John W. Cobb" <cobbjw@ORNL.GOV>
Subject: Pre-Web Spam ( Was RE: Internet AUP)
In-Reply-To: <0EGO00I0ESFG4Y@ornl.gov>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
In CYHIST Digest - 16 Sep 1997 to 17 Sep 1997 "John S. Quarterman" <jsq@MIDS.ORG> writes:
>...
>Spamming is a new development of the past two or three years. It developed after the web, not before.
Since this is an archived discussion that may be used as reference later, I feel obliged to point out that the above comment is not correct.
Spamming existed before the web. In fact the term "Spam" in this context pre-dates the web-itself as a search of usenet archives will reveal.
Speaking from personal experience, one thread of the many "The end of the internet is near" discussions that were prominent in the Early 90's was that spam was killing the internet.
The history of "Spam" is an interesting topic in and of itself -- a topic I believe we have discussed here before (see for example CYHIST digests dated: 960614, 970223, 970228, & 970301)
I think, perhaps, the grammer police should consider redefining the computer use of "SPAM' as an adjective instead of a noun since there are now so many forms of spam --- irc,MUD,newsgroup, and now e-mail.
Perhaps John Quarterman was implicitly referring to was the phenomena of e-mail spam -- that is when I get unwanted "junk e-mail" in my electronic mailbox. This has certainly been accelerated by the web, but also, it is not only a product of the web.
For example, before the web was widespread, many spammers would sift through usenet groups and build lists of e-mail addresses based on the addresses of newsgroup posters. This occurred apart from the web, and I believe, is still in widespread use by e-mail spammers today.
What the web offers (at least to spammers) is the ability to pluck out e-mail information from the browsers of people who surf the web. Also, web-search engines can be configured to search the web grepping for e-mail addresses. Thus the web has become a rich hunting ground for spammers to harvest new e-mail addresses.
I would be interested in a discussion of the various techniques that spammers use. Since I am usually on the receiving end of these SPAMS, I really am not that familiar with the all techniques that they use to: 1) Find addresses
2) Handle (huge volumes ) of bounces
3) Avoid mailbombs, and other hostile reactions resulting from the spams
Also has anyone every really found spamming to be a viable way to turn a profit on the net or is it just a case of newcomers to the net "not getting it" and giving us all a real pain in the neck while they catch-on?
Since we are basically talking about searching large volumes of text in order to find small sets of matching terms (i.s. "grepping" the net), perhaps we should stop and pay homage to the great god and grandfather of internet grepping, James, "KIBO" Perry.
Would someone would be nice enough to define the term "kibo", it's origins, and the many stories about "The KIBO". When did it first occur, etc. I don't think we've discussed it before here (apologies if I've missed it) and it is an interesting chapter in the history of the net that, IMO, goes a long way to describing the net culture before the internet exploded.
cheers,
-john .w cobb
John W. Cobb cobbjw@ornl.gov
Computing,Information, and Networking Division V. 423.576.5439 Oak Ridge National Laboratory F. 423.220-1031
MS-6144
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6144
Talk to teach, Listen to learn.
______________________________________________________________________
