> > never, never, never send my a file bigger than 3Kb To download your
> > files and attach takes more than 1 hour ( 60 minutes) Hope you will
> > send my US$ 20,- for the telephon cost
> What these arrogant jerks who send unsolicited files to the list don't
> realize is, you are forced to download, otherwise you can't get to your
> regular mail. I spent 3/4 hour only to have the machine quit in the last
> few bytes. Here's what I do now. Call your server and ask them to dump
> it right back at the sender, they will soon get the message.
Large files on BEE-L is a problem, and one that will not go away. These
things happen, not because people are arrogant jerks, but because mistakes
happen, or people do not realize the size of the file they are sending, or
because they have a fast connection and do not realize that there are
places in the world that use* very* slow and expensive connections. In
one case, a robot -- set up to avoid sending binaries without a specific
request -- got caught in a loop.
With one or two exceptions, the people on this list are considerate,
polite people who would never consider mail bombing anyone -- even in
response to receiving a large unsolicited file. Most have learned --
sometimes the hard way -- that two wrongs do not make a right.
Besides, there are civilzed methods of dealing with the problem, methods
that do not involve starting a war or increasing the sum total of pain in
the world.
Many do not realise that with many mail readers, it is possible to set
the maximum size of message that will be downloaded under 'options'.
Anything larger is left on the server. Setting the maximum download size
is vital for those who are on slow connections. It is imperative that
such members protect themselves by asking their ISP how to do so if they
are not techno whizes themselves. ISPs are usually most happy to advise.
Those who have shell access (more and more rare these days) can just log
onto the ISP machine and delete files in their own mailboxes themselves.
Others can direct the ISP to do so.
Another solution is to subscribe to *Best of Bee* instead of BEE-L.
Granted you will not get *all* the chatter, but you will not get any of
the binaries without requesting them, and the excess quotes, HTML coding
and such gratuitous 'material' that swell the BEE-L versions of posts are
trimmed -- along with any huge vanity signature lines etc. Your total
email will be reduced in bulk by 80 to 90%% (counting the binaries) -- and
you won't miss much. If you are paying for download, your wallet will
thank you.
Another would be to moderate BEE-L -- not to censor, or reject out of
hand any posts, but to filter out any binaries that come our way and to
send back to the sender for editing inappropriate posts such as HTML
posts and replies that contain mostly irrelevant quotes.
Posts such as the one to which I am replying which advocate behaviour
which most consider to be intemperate and in contravention of nettiquette
and which could get the sender and his ISP (Internet Service Provider) --
if they were to act on his request -- into hot water might also be sent
back for reconsideration. Often people send email on the spur of a moment
that they wish they could get back. A moderator could recognize such
posts and patiently send them back for reconsideration with a mild note
saying "did you really mean to send this to 1,200 civilized people?" or
"was this intended for alt.flames? It came to BEE-L by mistake <G> ".
Ideally we will someday soon go over to moderation, if only to reduce the
amount of junk in the logs, but perhaps if we do not institute a BEE-L
moderator, we can prevail on Aaron to set the maximum file size
permissible on BEE-L down to 25K or so. (Most of my posts should make it
under the wire ;)
Since we cannot control what others send us -- much as we wish we could --
raging at each sender and attempting retribution *after the fact*
accomplish nothing helpful. Each user must protect him or herself, using
the filters available in his/her software, 'cause feces happens.
Allen
---
* Want to cut the volume of mail from BEE-L?
* Want to improve the signal to noise ratio?
Send email to [log in to unmask] saying
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