SpamSweep

I'm waiting for the update to use Outlook from Office 2011...

I'm waiting for the update to use Outlook from Office 2011...

I've been using SpamSweep for quite some time now and I upgraded to Snow Leopard as soon as it was available. I was surprised when I discovered that SpamSweep wasn't 'compatible' with Snow Leopard as it had been checking my email and delivering the good emails as it usually did - It was only if I wanted to select a message that was marked as spam to make it an approved message (or vice-versa) that it wouldn't let me. I was assured a compatible version would be released soon but I wanted to make sure my spam emails were kept at bay accurately so I jumped over and grabbed a demo version of SpamSieve. It was only then that I realised just how simple SpamSweep is to use! Now we have a Snow Leopard compatible version, I'm definitely waiting for a compatible version of SpamSweep before I install the next major Mac OS. I have to say that SpamSweep is more important to me than any new Mac OS features that Apple can deliver - unless it buys SpamSweep and has it installed directly into Apple Mail! :)

Works flawlessly with Snow Leopard on my desktop MacPro. I had previously contacted the developer regarding the previous version not working with Snow Leopard, and he was quick to reply and inform me that he had a fix about to be released. Excellent communication, and a damned good anti spam app.

I'm still wating for the update. This is the only app that keep me away from update to Snow Leopard :(

I have been using SpamSweep for a couple of years and it works fine for me. I normally receive about a dozen emails a day. Good and bad mail is indicated for you to correct the filtering, which improves with time. After about a month, I hardly see any SPAM. I click on Review Messages once a week to make sure there are no mistakes, but so far, I have not found any.

I've been using version 1.4 now for about three weeks on a trial basis. I have found it to be very effective, and simple to use I have had dozens of emails in the time I've been trialing it, and only one piece of spam has slipped under the net in this time. It may have a simplistic look to it, but its very effective, and can hold its own against some of the other more complex and expensive anti spam applications. Ok, the icons are a bit clunky, but that does not detract from the fact that its very functional. I'm going to purchase the latest version of SpamSweep because it works as stated by the developer.

On trying this out, I raised a few comments wrt its functionality. e-mails to the suppoort address were sent, but today (2005-07-22) they are being bounced. Not a good sign! 1) I am on dial-up. Whenever I log off the internet, I leave most apps running. With this I always get an error dialog saying that Spam Sweep can't connect and check my accounts. I know this, and would like an option to suppress these dialogs. 2) Why does Spam Sweep download the entire e-mail, and not just the header? After selecting what is good from bad, I then end up having to re-download the e-mail again. Why can't Spam Sweep pass the already downloaded e-mails over to Mail? 3) I'd like to be able to suppress the sheet that drops down telling you what Spam Sweep is doing. I use CodeTel Virtual Desktop, and find the sheet appearing in the other desktops to be distracting. 4) The toolbar is awful! Huge icons with text. I'd like to be able to change that to smaller icons without text. It takes up far too much room as it is. No problem with a 30-inch monitor, but too much on mine! Customization of this is a must! 5) On selecting 'Delete' from the list in your window a dialog always comes up asking me if I really want to delete this. Of course I do - I just clicked delete. Please add a pref to suppress this! 6) When I mark e-mails as spam, it would be nice to have Spam Sweep delete them on the server. I end up checking mail and all that spam gets downloaded - the very action I am wanting to stop. 7) Having just started using it, the two weeks is rather short, IMO. Also, when you issue an update to correct flaws, the try-out is not reset. I think with a program such as this (as opposed to games) the try-out period should still remain the same for each new version. This looks like it has potential, esp. for me. I use Post Armor now and would like something along the same lines, only more robust. Hopefully the bouncing e-mails are only temporary.

SpamSweep combines two very interesting concepts: (1) mail checking; (2) Spam filtering. As this application gets trained, according to the author's instructions, it becomes very thorough and effective; eliminating the need for other external spam filter applications. One of the very powerful features of SS is its ability to 'filter' Spam, and delete it, on your e-mail server, w/o downloading it to your HD. If you find SpamSweep is meeting your needs, then pay the author's modest shareware fee. I did and feel I'm getting good value and performance from this package! Nice job, Bains!

So what does this do that SpamSieve doesn't, other than cost $5 less?