One of the lead programmers on the SpamAssassin project, Dan Quinlan, noted that there is optimism for the project’s success to result in wider proliferation of third-party add-ons, which could be added to future releases.
Alternatives to spamassassin license#
In contrast, SpamAssassin’s adoption of the Apache license will allow for the development of antispam technology that integrates features and techniques from a changing roster of programmers.
Alternatives to spamassassin software#
Rosen said, “We want software that’s not tied to requirements and conditions that go against the spirit of open source.” Microsoft developed the Caller ID portion of the specification, and it proposed terms for the use of the technology.Īpache balked and said the license was contrary to the practice of open standards. Sender ID is designed to identify whether an e-mail’s source address is the originator of the message. The software foundation noted that it would not support the proposed antispam standard because Microsoft’s licensing terms were unacceptable. Spam FightersĪlthough Apache will be more involved in the spam battle through SpamAssassin, the group recently announced a very different move in fighting spam through the use of Sender ID. Version 3.0 now allows per-user preferences as well as Bayesian data and auto-whitelists. In previous versions, maintaining configurations was challenging in virtual hosting environments when users did not possess shell accounts on a mail server. One of these is a major addition, which is support for Sender Policy Framework (SPF), which can trace e-mail origins.Īlso significant is a change to the per-user configuration. The new version also has a more modular design that extends the software’s capabilities by supporting plug-ins. The new version includes new static rules, including changed definitions of previous rules based on current spam trends. SpamAssassin is an extensible e-mail filter that uses a combination of static rules for recognizing spam and adaptive learning features. “Apache focuses on having its licensing be true to open source,” he said. Apache representative Lawrence Rosen told LinuxInsider that Apache’s licensing is designed to foster the open-source spirit, and that shows in projects like SpamAssassin.
However, it was worth the work, according to both groups. The effort to bring SpamAssassin and Apache together has been an ongoing project for some time, and it included the contributions of nearly 100 contributors and multiple lead programmers. For 3.0, which was released Wednesday, SpamAssassin has chosen to adopt the Apache License. Previously, the software was available under either the GPL or the Perl Artistic License. Open-source spam killer SpamAssassin 3.0 has been released, and while the new version has more features than its predecessors, it is in the licensing where it deviates the most from past versions.
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