Re: [ANNOUNCE] contrib/hashcash.el spam fighter

[David Masterson <dsm@rawbw.com>]

>>>>> Stainless Steel Rat writes:

> The way hashcash works is quite simple.  Your MTA contacts my MTA
> because you want to deliver mail to me.  

This right here sounds like a problem.  My limited reading of the
references made me think it was more of a signature methodology like
TMDA.  I didn't realize there was a side connection between the people
that must happen even before the mail can be sent.  This would seem to
be more of a penalty to the email remailer (ie. the ISP) than the
spammer himself (but if the ISP's work goes up, I suppose he'd kick
the spammer out).

> The system needs everyone to adopt it, or it will not work.

Because, until everyone adopts it, the MTAs cannot just kick out
messages that do not have the proper "postage", correct?

> Hashcash cannot work at the MUA level because the receiving MUA
> cannot tell the sender, "this is your price of doing business with
> me".  

Why not?  And, if the MUA can't, what part does this hashcash.el
package (which, I assume, hooks into Gnus) play in things?

-- 
David Masterson
dsm@rawbw.com