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E-mail has to be one of the greatest assets of being on the good old Net. The unfortunate side of it is that it has created a whole new annoying cottage industry that threatens everyone’s productivity. Junk e-mail, or as it is also known as “Spam,” is the electronic equivalent of junk postal mail. Just like the annoying letters and advertisements that proliferate in your physical mailbox, these irritants can easily clog up your e-mail inbox with hundreds of messages. Hocking everything from diets, to cheap software, even adult material not suitable for young eyes or the easily offended, these nuisances are not only slowing down the Net, they are also very offensive.
Attempting to stop e-mail has been a big challenge for software makers. Companies both large and small have tackled the problem with a wide array of solutions. From independent e-mail programs that filter e-mail to add—on programs that provide e-mail filters for e-mail clients like Eudora and Outlook. Each has its own merits and flaws.
The overwhelming obstacle to solid e-mail filtering has been, and still is, accuracy, effectiveness, ease of use and stability. Coming in with a solution that works, and does so amazingly well is Polesoft’s Lockspam, now up to the 2.5 version.
This small program works as an add-on to Outlook as a filtering agent that is easy to install and does not slow down your system. Unlike some programs that actually interfere with e-mail functionality, or bring your e-mail system to a crawl, Lockspam is about as unobtrusive a program as possible.
The installation is very simple. There are not settings to manually adjust. After inserting the CD-ROM, the program installs itself, sets itself up and is ready to run within a few moments. If you have ever installed programs previously, there is little unfamiliar about this setup. Each step of the install is given a brief description on what you are to do and how to proceed. Once installed, the program is ready to run. The install requires no detailed set up procedures.
After the install is complete, the program places a small toolbar on Outlook. Dockable, the bar includes direct access to the most used functions. Within the Options tab are all of the manual adjustments one could ever need available.
The real test of any program like this is its ability to differentiate “garbage” e-mail from legitimate e-mail. Lockspam, out of the box does an admirable job of intuitively knowing the difference. In my day to day use of the program, out of hundreds of e-mail, only a small percentage made it into the spam folder. Considering the volume of e-mail I receive along with experience with other programs, this is a major achievement.
To help in the spam elimination process, Lockspam has a tabbed window that provides statistical information. Counting the total number of e-mail items checked, e-mail Lockspam has blocked, time saved, percentage of e-mail killed, start time for recording keeping and even a count on innocent e-mail erroneously tracked, the information is provided directly and easily. Out of 1,481 emails, less than four percent of my innocent e-mail found its way into the spam folder. In my experience those are excellent numbers.
Creating its own spam folder, Lockspam automatically places junk mail into the spam folder and allows what it believes to be innocent e-mail into the standard inbox. Allowing for easy retreviel and viewing of e-mails, the process works faster and better than having a separate application handle the e-mails. It is convenient to say the least.
Permitting Lockspam to be more accurate, the program can automatically, or manually, check the Web for updates. Also available is the option to send addresses missed by Lockspam to the company so that it can aid others in the fight to remove spam. By doing so, this provides more information about who is sending these irritants, and to help develop more comprehensive filters.
Training Lockspam could not be easier. Should Lockspam miss an e-mail that is indeed spam, you can alert it to missed e-mails and it will keep a log to prevent that particular address from sending e-mail to your inbox.
Offering ease of use, a simple installation and an easy to use and understand interface, there is much to recommend Lockspam as the ultimate junk e-mail killer. Having used products from other companies, I have to admit that this is hands down the best of the lot to date.
Easy installation, amazing accuracy and simple set up, there is much to like and admire about this application. End users will find installing, operating and using this application about as easy as it could possibly be. Having just used the program out of the box, I was impressed with its stability and accuracy.
The only downside is that this program only works with Outlook. However, that may be be changing.
According to the Polesoft site, Lockspam for Eudora and Outlook Express will be coming in early July. If so, this would make Lockspam the ultimate filter for non Outlook users as well.
While Outlook 2003 does ship with its own spam filter, the program is really not adequate for those that use e-mail on a regular basis. Naturally, you can create your own rules and customize Outlook 2003 to identify spam. This is a long tedious process. Having attempted that solution myself, it is not easy, not that effective and it can be very time consuming. For people that just do not have the time or energy to spend creating rules to block spam, Lockspam offers an excellent solution.
In day to day use Lockspam is easily one of the best applications of its kind on the market. Performing well in accuracy, speed, integration with Outlook and easy updating, there is a lot to like here.
Do check up with Lockspam in updates, the new version of Lockspam that will work with Eudora and Outlook Express for updates and other purchase information.
This is easily the best spam killer I have ever used pure and simple. If you are sick of spam, this program is just the right solution for Outlook users.
The recommend minimum system requirements for Lockspam are as follows:
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