Why just this group?

[Tony Mountifield]

I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.

Cheers
Tony
--
Tony Mountifield
Work: to...@softins.co.uk - http://www.softins.co.uk
Play: to...@mountifield.org - http://tony.mountifield.org

[Evertjan.]

Tony Mountifield wrote on 12 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:

> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
> javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
> that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
> why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.

This is usenet, I don't know what NGs you mean by 'Web/DB kind'.
You cannot subscribe to a usenet group, only order your reader to read it.

I never see spam on this NG, but then I block google group mail here and
heve some aditional filtering done.


--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Andrew Poulos]

On 13/12/2011 8:48 AM, Tim Streater wrote:
> In article <jc5rht$6nu$1...@softins.clara.co.uk>,

> to...@mountifield.org (Tony Mountifield) wrote:
>
>> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>> javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
>> that appears to have this perennial problem with spam.
>

> What spam?

This group gets tonnes of spam posting per day, every day. Just because
you're filtering it doesn't mean its not happening.

My conspiracy theory is that its one of the more popular js library
fanbois work ;-)

[Hans-Georg Michna]

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:57:41 +1100, Andrew Poulos wrote:

>My conspiracy theory is that its one of the more popular js library
>fanbois work ;-)

That would be a huge compliment. It would indicate that we are
in the right place.

By the way, this is not really much spam. Even if you don't
filter, it takes only seconds to delete by hand.

Hans-Georg

[Lewis Perin]

to...@mountifield.org (Tony Mountifield) writes:

>I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
>that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
>why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.

Maybe it’s because in the USA “script” is short for “prescription”. The
spammers here are mostly hawking drugs, after all...

/Lew
---
Lew Perin / pe...@acm.org
http://babelcarp.org

[Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn]

Tony Mountifield wrote:

> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
> javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
> that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
> why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.

This is a FAQ (more like a FFQ). There are several reasons for the spam,
*none* of which is on-topic here (so you should *not* have asked *here*).

One has been named. Another is that even without the spam this is or at
least has been a high-traffic group. Third, JavaScript, and ECMAScript
implementations in general, have become a "household topic" among software
developers. Spammers post where they suspect the most attention.


F'up2 poster

PointedEars
--
Use any version of Microsoft Frontpage to create your site.
(This won't prevent people from viewing your source, but no one
will want to steal it.)
-- from <http://www.vortex-webdesign.com/help/hidesource.htm> (404-comp.)

[RobG]

On Dec 13, 7:42 am, "Evertjan." <exjxw.hannivo...@interxnl.net> wrote:
[...]

> You cannot subscribe to a usenet group, only order your reader to read it.

Perhaps your news reader doesn't call that subscribing, but some (e.g.
Thunderbird) do.


--
Rob

[Tony Mountifield]

In article <5puce7pgp529t928l...@4ax.com>,

Indeed, that's what I do, but I was just curious why this was the only
group in which I needed to do so.

[Tony Mountifield]

In article <pc7fwgp...@panix1.panix.com>,

Lewis Perin <pe...@panix.com> wrote:
> to...@mountifield.org (Tony Mountifield) writes:
>
> >I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
> >javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
> >that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
> >why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.
>
> Maybe it's because in the USA 'script' is short for 'prescription'. The
> spammers here are mostly hawking drugs, after all...

That sounds a plausible reason, although I wish someone would give them
a better regular expression!

[Tony Mountifield]

In article <1810847.7...@PointedEars.de>,

Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <cl...@PointedEars.de> wrote:
> Tony Mountifield wrote:
>
> > I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
> > javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
> > that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
> > why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.
>
> This is a FAQ (more like a FFQ). There are several reasons for the spam,
> *none* of which is on-topic here (so you should *not* have asked *here*).

Danke für den ernsten Rat!

> One has been named. Another is that even without the spam this is or at
> least has been a high-traffic group. Third, JavaScript, and ECMAScript
> implementations in general, have become a "household topic" among software
> developers. Spammers post where they suspect the most attention.

If that were the case, I would expect to see at least some in other high-
traffic groups. I'm glad I don't.

[Denis McMahon]

On Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:42:58 +0000, Evertjan. wrote:

> Tony Mountifield wrote on 12 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:
>
>> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>> javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only
>> comp.lang.javascript that appears to have this perennial problem with
>> spam. Just wondering why this group gets picked on, while the others
>> are generally clean.

I think it's because the group name contains the string "script" which is
used as a shorthand for "prescription" in some parts of the world.

> This is usenet, I don't know what NGs you mean by 'Web/DB kind'. You
> cannot subscribe to a usenet group, only order your reader to read it.

Nevertheless, the commands many usenet newsreaders such as pan,
thunderbird, agent etc use to start / stop monitoring the content of a
group are "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" and the trm is IMO in common use
in that context.

> I never see spam on this NG, but then I block google group mail here and
> heve some aditional filtering done.

I alas still see the odd one or two, but then I don't automatically
exclude google groups posters, although I have a long and growing list of
medicine names that I do filter on.

Rgds

Denis McMahon

[Richard Cornford]

On Dec 13, 10:27 am, Tony Mountifield wrote:
> Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
<snip>

>> One has been named. Another is that even without the spam this
>> is or at least has been a high-traffic group. Third, JavaScript,
>> and ECMAScript implementations in general, have become a
>> "household topic" among software developers. Spammers post where
>> they suspect the most attention.
>
> If that were the case, I would expect to see at least some in other

> high-traffic groups. I'm glad I don't.

The group's traffic levels are unlikely to be a significant factor as
we are not the intended audience for this spam. Apart from having
"script" in the name of the group the other factor that is likely to
be important is the degree to which content from this group is made
available on various (mostly web development related) web sites. These
spams are a trap for people using search engines to find cheap or
dubious drug suppliers and posting to Usenet, as such, would not help
with that.

Richard.

[Evertjan.]

Denis McMahon wrote on 13 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:

> On Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:42:58 +0000, Evertjan. wrote:
>
>> Tony Mountifield wrote on 12 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:
>>
>>> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php,
>>> perl, javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only
>>> comp.lang.javascript that appears to have this perennial problem
>>> with spam. Just wondering why this group gets picked on, while the
>>> others are generally clean.
>
> I think it's because the group name contains the string "script" which
> is used as a shorthand for "prescription" in some parts of the world.

Could very well be true, any idea of testing for this?

Renaming this group seems not very practical.

>> This is usenet, I don't know what NGs you mean by 'Web/DB kind'. You
>> cannot subscribe to a usenet group, only order your reader to read
>> it.
>
> Nevertheless, the commands many usenet newsreaders such as pan,
> thunderbird, agent etc use to start / stop monitoring the content of a
> group are "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" and the trm is IMO in common
> use in that context.

Ain't it silly?

>> I never see spam on this NG, but then I block google group mail here
>> and heve some aditional filtering done.
>
> I alas still see the odd one or two, but then I don't automatically
> exclude google groups posters, although I have a long and growing list
> of medicine names that I do filter on.

I feel vey happy not knowing what I am missing, silly me.

[Arno Welzel]

Andrew Poulos, 2011-12-12 22:57:

> On 13/12/2011 8:48 AM, Tim Streater wrote:
>> In article <jc5rht$6nu$1...@softins.clara.co.uk>,
>> to...@mountifield.org (Tony Mountifield) wrote:
>>
>>> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>>> javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
>>> that appears to have this perennial problem with spam.
>>
>> What spam?
>
> This group gets tonnes of spam posting per day, every day. Just because
> you're filtering it doesn't mean its not happening.

I don't see "tons of spam" here (but i did a few weeks/months ago).
Maybe the sever i use, does filtering on its own.


--
Arno Welzel
http://arnowelzel.de
http://de-rec-fahrrad.de

[Swifty]

On 13 Dec 2011 11:43:42 GMT, Denis McMahon <denismf...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>I have a long and growing list of medicine names that I do filter on.

As do I. Perhaps we should share?

I wrote a tiny program, called "spam" and when I issue the command
"spam viagra" it tells me how often I have entered the name "viagra"
and over what period of days.

When anything reaches a count of 3, it goes in my filter.

It always struck me as amusing that the spammers are obliged to use
the exact name for the drugs (who would dose themselves with something
and then find themselves dying from a misprint?) and the names can
never match typical words. So, they are simple to filter, apart from
the fact that you have to watch out for new names appearing.

Hence my little program. I can't remember how many times I've seen
"ultracet" (twice so far - teetering on the brink).

Talking of brinks, I was just on the brink of doing something silly. I
was going to append my list here. Then I realised that this would
sound the spam alarms of everyone who has such a filter, and almost
certainly you!

--
Steve Swift
http://www.swiftys.org.uk/swifty.html
http://www.ringers.org.uk

[Swifty]

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:32:35 +0000, Tim Streater
<timst...@greenbee.net> wrote:

>Has there been any spam in the last 12 hours since I disabled my
>filters? I haven't seen any.

I haven't seen any, but my filter (medicine names) is active.

It comes in waves. I suspect something like "daily, but not weekends".
we could probably work out roughly where in the world the spammer is,
as they seem to observe public holidays as well.

[Tim Slattery]

Andrew Poulos <ap_...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>This group gets tonnes of spam posting per day, every day. Just because
>you're filtering it doesn't mean its not happening.

I see a flood of spam once in a while, definitely not every day. Not
even every week.

And it always comes through Google's usenet interface.

--
Tim Slattery
Slatt...@bls.gov
http://members.cox.net/slatteryt

[Denis McMahon]

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:53:24 +0000, Swifty wrote:

> Talking of brinks, I was just on the brink of doing something silly. I
> was going to append my list here. Then I realised that this would sound
> the spam alarms of everyone who has such a filter, and almost certainly
> you!

Not mine, as I filter on headers, not content.

Rgds

Denis McMahon

[John G Harris]

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011 at 00:15:45, in comp.lang.javascript, Thomas
'PointedEars' Lahn wrote:
>Tony Mountifield wrote:
>
>> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>> javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
>> that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
>> why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.
>
>This is a FAQ (more like a FFQ). There are several reasons for the spam,
>*none* of which is on-topic here (so you should *not* have asked *here*).

<snip>

Threats to a newsgroup are always On Topic for that newsgroup.

Did you think you were quoting an authoritative definition of 'On
Topic'? If so, which?

John
--
John Harris

[Dr J R Stockton]

In comp.lang.javascript message <jc5rht$6nu$1...@softins.clara.co.uk>, Mon,
12 Dec 2011 21:26:21, Tony Mountifield <to...@mountifield.org> posted:

>I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
>that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
>why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.

You're apparently using albasini.net, by intent or otherwise. Use
eternal-September instead. If your ISP prevents that, migrate.

--
(c) John Stockton, nr London, UK. ?@merlyn.demon.co.uk Turnpike v6.05.
Website <http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/> - w. FAQish topics, links, acronyms
PAS EXE etc. : <http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/programs/> - see in 00index.htm
Dates - miscdate.htm estrdate.htm js-dates.htm pas-time.htm critdate.htm etc.

[Gene Wirchenko]

On Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:02:25 +0000, Dr J R Stockton
<repl...@merlyn.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>In comp.lang.javascript message <jc5rht$6nu$1...@softins.clara.co.uk>, Mon,
>12 Dec 2011 21:26:21, Tony Mountifield <to...@mountifield.org> posted:
>
>>I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql, php, perl,
>>javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only comp.lang.javascript
>>that appears to have this perennial problem with spam. Just wondering
>>why this group gets picked on, while the others are generally clean.
>
>You're apparently using albasini.net, by intent or otherwise. Use
>eternal-September instead. If your ISP prevents that, migrate.

What he said. I use ES and do not have a spam problem with this
group.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

[Evertjan.]

Gene Wirchenko wrote on 14 dec 2011 in comp.lang.javascript:

> What he said. I use ES and do not have a spam problem with this
> group.
>

Perhals some use EO being confused by zero or one based months?

[Hans-Georg Michna]

That is probably much better. I think content filtering is bad.

Hans-Georg

[P E Schoen]

"Tony Mountifield" wrote in message
news:jc5rht$6nu$1...@softins.clara.co.uk...

> I subscribe to a number of Web/DB kind of newsgroups (mysql,
> php, perl, javascript, etc.), and out of all of them, it's only
> comp.lang.javascript that appears to have this perennial problem
> with spam. Just wondering why this group gets picked on, while
> the others are generally clean.

I've noticed that as well. I don't have effective spam filters in WLM, but I
take perverse pleasure at highlighting blocks of spam and using the DEL key
as a trigger for my zapper. On the rare occasions I access via GoogleGroups,
I have noticed that this NG consistently ranks much higher than others. So
the spammers target it and their spam counts as activity which further
boosts the ranking.

Or maybe as others observed it is the "script" in the name.

Or maybe JavaScript developers have a particularly strong need for such
drugs due to the nature of the language?

Paul

[Mike Duffy]

"P E Schoen" <pa...@pstech-inc.com> wrote in
news:QZWGq.24409$Q83....@newsfe17.iad:

> Or maybe JavaScript developers have a particularly strong need for
> such drugs due to the nature of the language?

"Give me librium, or give me meth!"

(With apologies to Patrick Henry.)

--
http://pages.videotron.ca/duffym/index.htm

[John G Harris]

On Sat, 17 Dec 2011 at 01:51:19, in comp.lang.javascript, P E Schoen
wrote:

<snip>

>Or maybe as others observed it is the "script" in the name.

<snip>

I've looked at
alt.satellite.tv.script,
fr.comp.lang.javascript, and
sci.med.transcription
and found that all three are low traffic and get no floods of our kind
of medicine spam. Only fclj got any med-spam at all in the last few
months.

I don't think it's as simple as having 'script' in the group name.

John
--
John Harris

[Fritz Wuehler]

Many other people in other groups are bitching about this as well.

To you all I say "learn to killfile google groups"

[Dr J R Stockton]

In comp.lang.javascript message <QZWGq.24409$Q83....@newsfe17.iad>,
Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:51:19, P E Schoen <pa...@pstech-inc.com> posted:

>
>Or maybe as others observed it is the "script" in the name.
>

That is not a sufficient criterion, since no.c.l.j is spam-free. Alas,
it is also j-free.

--
(c) John Stockton, nr London UK. replyYYWW merlyn demon co uk Turnpike 6.05.
Web <http://www.uwasa.fi/~ts/http/tsfaq.html> -> Timo Salmi: Usenet Q&A.
Web <http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/news-use.htm> : about usage of News.

[Fritz Wuehler]

> > Many other people in other groups are bitching about this as well.
>

> What, about spam? What spam?

Exactly my dear Watson :-)