There are now, not one, but two new versions of SpamFree for POPFile and they both come with a new name suggested by Jason K: Outclass.
Combining Outlook and Classification with POPFile, it "Outclasses" other solutions. (It sounds better if you imagine the "moviefone" guy saying it... really)
Anyway, the new version is 1.1 Beta 1 and adds a bunch of new features:
Multiple Buckets
Multiple Inboxes
Check unread messages on startup (for when Outlook fails to inform Outclass of new messages)
Automatic handling of reclassified messages
Customizable buttons and icons
Important: Some preferences are not preserved when you upgrade (OK, two preferences, "mark as read," and "delete only"). You'll need to set these again manually if you use them. The updated docs have more info.
The use of perlembed to eliminate external calls to Perl did not make it into this release. I ran into random crashing problems with that (though if I ran the same code outside of Outlook, it worked fine), so I left it out. If anyone has any ideas there, please let me know (C -> Perl: OK. C++ -> Perl: OK, COM -> Perl: OK, Outlook -> COM -> Perl: Crashes approx. 10% of the time)
In addition to the 1.1 Beta, the previous version 1.0 Beta 2 of SpamFree for POPFile was updated to the new name and updated to work with POPFile v0.18.0. It's still the version I would recommend for newbies or people who don't need multiple buckets or inboxes. It's released as the official 1.0 version of Outclass.
1.0 Beta 2 is still available for people who do not want to upgrade their POPFile to v0.18.0.
Uh, one minor update. If you downloaded Outclass 1.1b1 before 10:15am Eastern, download it again. I knew juggling two versions, I'd be likely to make a packaging mistake and I did. Updated one has the real 1.1b1 code.
Sorry about that.
AG
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I've just dl'd and installed, and it worked ok, but then after a restart the outclass toolbar is just a little box with nothing in it, not resizable, so I can't get to any of the options, reclassify buttons, etc.
How can I get the whole toolbar back?
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My problem isn't that there is no toolbar, but that the folder buttons are not on the toolbar anymore? This is an upgrade. Still works fine, but I have to hit reclassify (that button is still present) instead of automatically reclassifying as the button I press...
Still, this release has everything that I have wanted...
Thanks!
Schwin97
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I'm not sure why your buttons would be gone, but here are some things to check. First, go to options. Are the two default buckets (or any buckets) listed there?
If there are no buckets you could add them manually on that options page, or you could let Outclass readd them by clearing your settings in the registry. If the buckets are listed there, try hitting OK on the options and that should recreate the buttons. If that doesn't work, something could be wrong in your registry, so clear the settings in the registry.
To clear your settings (and start over with default buckets of Allowed and Spam), make sure Outlook is closed completely and delete the following registry key:
Hey, John. I'm glad you asked that. =) I was going to approach you one of these days about that because it would be great to have it more closely associated with POPFile. So I guess what I'm saying is: I'm all for it. What do we need to do to make it happen?
AG
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How about you send me the source code and I'll take a look at it and get it into CVS. Then I'll need you to send me a completed POPFile License Agreement for this contribution and I'll give you CVS access to the Outclass code and we can take it from there.
John.
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OK, sounds good. Just give me until this weekend to clean up my source and then I'll send it on ;) I haven't packaged the source for distribution yet and I'm not sure I'm going to get much of a chance during this week (busy).
AG
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I've only just started using it, but from the looks of it, this is what I've been waiting for. I've been dying to use popfile since I saw it on /., and now I can.
I can't wait to see PopFile and Outclass further evolve, because I like them already, and I'd bet they're only going to improve.
Nice job. :)
-Alejandro
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Anonymous
-
2003-02-17
You ask about testing with Exchange at several points in your documentation. FYI, I'm now running Outclass on an Outlook2002 client (all current patches) that connects to an Exchange 2000 server plus two IMAP accounts. It's working fine on the Exchange account (my primary Inbox--I don't actually want it on the IMAP accounts for now). Install was uneventful and setup was clear--terrific job! I'm presently exploring whether it will behave with server-side filter rules, or whether I have to put all rules in the client to make them behave: I'll keep you posted.
Today I'm running at home via VPN, and it works fine. Two questions
1) There's no way to interact with Outclass via Outlook Web Access that I can find, so handling classification via the web is not yet possible, yes?
2) Since Outclass is Outlook-based, I gather I need to install it in every Outlook client I use to connect to Exchange, yes? Or is there some way to load it as an Exchange-hosted module?
A very great pleasure to have Bayesian filtering in Outlook-Exchange at last--and for free, no less. Keep up the good work! --Chris Mackie
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Outclass is an Outlook addin, so you're right, it won't work with the Web-based Exchange client. I don't know if that will ever be possible, but right now it's outside of the scope of Outclass.
As for your second question, you have two options. One is to install it on every client you use, but then you will have to maintain the corpuses on each client and/or synchronize them somehow. The second option is to leave an Outlook client with Outclass always running (recommended after you're finished training!) somewhere and it will classify your mail for you as it receives it. Of course, that may not always be possible, I realize.
I have not looked into anything that may be able to be hosted server-side with Exchange. I don't have ready access to an Exchange server, so it's kind of hard to develop. ;) If the object model on the server-side is similar enough, it should be fairly easy to port the code for that scenario, but it's not on my planned features list at this time -- but you are right, the ideal place to do any sort of filtering with IMAP is server-side and the same probably applies to Exchange. Once John gets the code into CVS, maybe some enterprising person who does have access to an Exchange server, might want to look into that... =)
AG
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If you'd like to test against an Exchange Server you would probably be able to download the Release Cadidate 2 of Microsoft Server 2003 if you sign up soon. I currently am testing this product. There is also currently a beta of the new version of Exchange on Microsoft's website. With these two (free) downloads you'll be able to have a test environment.
--
Tom Voss
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As far as Outlook/Exchange server side rules go, I've got a bunch set up, which I use to sort mail to or from certain addresses. Outclass's only issue with it, is that messages land straight into the final destination folder instead of the inbox. Simple solution is to designate those folders as inboxes too. It's working fine with me so far.
One thing I'd like to see is a way to apply the same rule to multiple inboxes. Something like when mail comes in to folders {foo, bar, baz}, then if it's spam, move it here. In the mean time, I'll just keep adding new inboxes as folders receive spam.
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I just switched from 0.18 (regular web interface) to OutClass... and it seems that OutClass is filtering on ALL my mail accounts, not just the few I selected to be looked at by POPfile. :(
This is problematic because, for instance, on my POP account "jobs" I receive hundreds of job listings daily that I sift through, and since I receive zero spam on this account, it makes no sense for it to be examined by POPfile.
Any solutions to this issue?
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I woke up to about 100 mail messages in my inbox this morning, one 'training' query from Outclass, about 30 spams, and NOT ONE sent to my spam folder, despite having 'trained' OC quite a bit yesterday and despite having a spam folder designated for my inbox.
What gives?!
I think I did everything right.
I installed POPfile first and had it working just fine.
I changed back my POP settings to 'normal' so they'd work with OC and Outlook.
What did I miss?
Help, please!
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Okay, I'm at least a partial moron. I don't know how I missed it the last few times, but I just now caught and unchecked the 'training' box.
I still don't really get it, though. Why the heck would ANYONE want to get annoyingly interrupted with such a box, instead of just reclassifying mails at their convenience?!
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A lot of people (probably not POPFile's core audience just yet, but eventually...) like the early-on hand-holding that the Training Dialog provides. But as you found out, it's not terribly useful if you're not present as each message comes in. In the next version, there will be a checkbox on the training dialog for "Do not show this message again"
On your other issue: If Outclass does miss any messages for whatever reason, you can just highlight them all and choose "Classify Now."
AG
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Hmm... I've been noticing more and more that whenever I'm POP'ing mail (about every 2 minutes currently) everything in Outlook freezes for a long moment.
I can't delete or move items, and even any typing I'm doing in an e-mail freezes for a moment and goes into the buffer.
Will the integration of OC into POPfile improve this situation, or is this yet another sad indication that I need to replace my beloved PII 700mhz system? :|
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The pause you experience is caused by loading the corpus for each message. That should improve significantly when POPFile gets the new API and Outlcass starts using it.
As for your multiple Inbox question. Outlook Rules fire before Outclass. If a Rule handles a message, Outclass does not see it. If you already have a Rule set up to move mail to a certain folder, then having Outclass look at it seems to me like it would be redundant anyway. If your mailing list gets a lot of spam posted to it, then you might want to just ditch the Rule and add another bucket and let Outclass decide whether or not that mail should be moved to that folder.
AG
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There are now, not one, but two new versions of SpamFree for POPFile and they both come with a new name suggested by Jason K: Outclass.
Combining Outlook and Classification with POPFile, it "Outclasses" other solutions. (It sounds better if you imagine the "moviefone" guy saying it... really)
Anyway, the new version is 1.1 Beta 1 and adds a bunch of new features:
Multiple Buckets
Multiple Inboxes
Check unread messages on startup (for when Outlook fails to inform Outclass of new messages)
Automatic handling of reclassified messages
Customizable buttons and icons
Important: Some preferences are not preserved when you upgrade (OK, two preferences, "mark as read," and "delete only"). You'll need to set these again manually if you use them. The updated docs have more info.
The use of perlembed to eliminate external calls to Perl did not make it into this release. I ran into random crashing problems with that (though if I ran the same code outside of Outlook, it worked fine), so I left it out. If anyone has any ideas there, please let me know (C -> Perl: OK. C++ -> Perl: OK, COM -> Perl: OK, Outlook -> COM -> Perl: Crashes approx. 10% of the time)
In addition to the 1.1 Beta, the previous version 1.0 Beta 2 of SpamFree for POPFile was updated to the new name and updated to work with POPFile v0.18.0. It's still the version I would recommend for newbies or people who don't need multiple buckets or inboxes. It's released as the official 1.0 version of Outclass.
1.0 Beta 2 is still available for people who do not want to upgrade their POPFile to v0.18.0.
It's all at http://www.vargonsoft.com/ as usual.
-AG
Uh, one minor update. If you downloaded Outclass 1.1b1 before 10:15am Eastern, download it again. I knew juggling two versions, I'd be likely to make a packaging mistake and I did. Updated one has the real 1.1b1 code.
Sorry about that.
AG
I've just dl'd and installed, and it worked ok, but then after a restart the outclass toolbar is just a little box with nothing in it, not resizable, so I can't get to any of the options, reclassify buttons, etc.
How can I get the whole toolbar back?
Works just perfect here, even on a Danish Outlook version, XP-sp1/Outloook 2000.
My problem isn't that there is no toolbar, but that the folder buttons are not on the toolbar anymore? This is an upgrade. Still works fine, but I have to hit reclassify (that button is still present) instead of automatically reclassifying as the button I press...
Still, this release has everything that I have wanted...
Thanks!
Schwin97
I'm not sure why your buttons would be gone, but here are some things to check. First, go to options. Are the two default buckets (or any buckets) listed there?
If there are no buckets you could add them manually on that options page, or you could let Outclass readd them by clearing your settings in the registry. If the buckets are listed there, try hitting OK on the options and that should recreate the buttons. If that doesn't work, something could be wrong in your registry, so clear the settings in the registry.
To clear your settings (and start over with default buckets of Allowed and Spam), make sure Outlook is closed completely and delete the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Vargon Software\SpamFree
Just delete the whole SpamFree key then restart Outlook and everything should be back to normal (well, defaults).
HTH
AG
I think this is really cool. What would you think about donating it to the POPFile project and we'll make it a part of the standard installer etc?
John.
Ok, I'm the person with the dissapearing toolbar, but I rebooted and all is well now...so no problems- good job.
Hey, John. I'm glad you asked that. =) I was going to approach you one of these days about that because it would be great to have it more closely associated with POPFile. So I guess what I'm saying is: I'm all for it. What do we need to do to make it happen?
AG
How about you send me the source code and I'll take a look at it and get it into CVS. Then I'll need you to send me a completed POPFile License Agreement for this contribution and I'll give you CVS access to the Outclass code and we can take it from there.
John.
OK, sounds good. Just give me until this weekend to clean up my source and then I'll send it on ;) I haven't packaged the source for distribution yet and I'm not sure I'm going to get much of a chance during this week (busy).
AG
I've only just started using it, but from the looks of it, this is what I've been waiting for. I've been dying to use popfile since I saw it on /., and now I can.
I can't wait to see PopFile and Outclass further evolve, because I like them already, and I'd bet they're only going to improve.
Nice job. :)
-Alejandro
You ask about testing with Exchange at several points in your documentation. FYI, I'm now running Outclass on an Outlook2002 client (all current patches) that connects to an Exchange 2000 server plus two IMAP accounts. It's working fine on the Exchange account (my primary Inbox--I don't actually want it on the IMAP accounts for now). Install was uneventful and setup was clear--terrific job! I'm presently exploring whether it will behave with server-side filter rules, or whether I have to put all rules in the client to make them behave: I'll keep you posted.
Today I'm running at home via VPN, and it works fine. Two questions
1) There's no way to interact with Outclass via Outlook Web Access that I can find, so handling classification via the web is not yet possible, yes?
2) Since Outclass is Outlook-based, I gather I need to install it in every Outlook client I use to connect to Exchange, yes? Or is there some way to load it as an Exchange-hosted module?
A very great pleasure to have Bayesian filtering in Outlook-Exchange at last--and for free, no less. Keep up the good work! --Chris Mackie
Outclass is an Outlook addin, so you're right, it won't work with the Web-based Exchange client. I don't know if that will ever be possible, but right now it's outside of the scope of Outclass.
As for your second question, you have two options. One is to install it on every client you use, but then you will have to maintain the corpuses on each client and/or synchronize them somehow. The second option is to leave an Outlook client with Outclass always running (recommended after you're finished training!) somewhere and it will classify your mail for you as it receives it. Of course, that may not always be possible, I realize.
I have not looked into anything that may be able to be hosted server-side with Exchange. I don't have ready access to an Exchange server, so it's kind of hard to develop. ;) If the object model on the server-side is similar enough, it should be fairly easy to port the code for that scenario, but it's not on my planned features list at this time -- but you are right, the ideal place to do any sort of filtering with IMAP is server-side and the same probably applies to Exchange. Once John gets the code into CVS, maybe some enterprising person who does have access to an Exchange server, might want to look into that... =)
AG
If you'd like to test against an Exchange Server you would probably be able to download the Release Cadidate 2 of Microsoft Server 2003 if you sign up soon. I currently am testing this product. There is also currently a beta of the new version of Exchange on Microsoft's website. With these two (free) downloads you'll be able to have a test environment.
--
Tom Voss
As far as Outlook/Exchange server side rules go, I've got a bunch set up, which I use to sort mail to or from certain addresses. Outclass's only issue with it, is that messages land straight into the final destination folder instead of the inbox. Simple solution is to designate those folders as inboxes too. It's working fine with me so far.
One thing I'd like to see is a way to apply the same rule to multiple inboxes. Something like when mail comes in to folders {foo, bar, baz}, then if it's spam, move it here. In the mean time, I'll just keep adding new inboxes as folders receive spam.
I just switched from 0.18 (regular web interface) to OutClass... and it seems that OutClass is filtering on ALL my mail accounts, not just the few I selected to be looked at by POPfile. :(
This is problematic because, for instance, on my POP account "jobs" I receive hundreds of job listings daily that I sift through, and since I receive zero spam on this account, it makes no sense for it to be examined by POPfile.
Any solutions to this issue?
Okay, and another question...
When I discovered Outclass, I was thrilled to not have to go to the POPfile Web interface.
But now I kinda miss it :(
Is there a way to look up my corpuses (ack, that sounded perverted!) or see stats while still using Outclass?
Okay, I guess I'm on a roll here! :D
How does Outclass determine which e-mails to ask me about in Training mode, and how long does Training mode last?
Okay, this is really frustrating!
I woke up to about 100 mail messages in my inbox this morning, one 'training' query from Outclass, about 30 spams, and NOT ONE sent to my spam folder, despite having 'trained' OC quite a bit yesterday and despite having a spam folder designated for my inbox.
What gives?!
I think I did everything right.
I installed POPfile first and had it working just fine.
I changed back my POP settings to 'normal' so they'd work with OC and Outlook.
What did I miss?
Help, please!
Okay, I'm at least a partial moron. I don't know how I missed it the last few times, but I just now caught and unchecked the 'training' box.
I still don't really get it, though. Why the heck would ANYONE want to get annoyingly interrupted with such a box, instead of just reclassifying mails at their convenience?!
One word: NEWBIES
A lot of people (probably not POPFile's core audience just yet, but eventually...) like the early-on hand-holding that the Training Dialog provides. But as you found out, it's not terribly useful if you're not present as each message comes in. In the next version, there will be a checkbox on the training dialog for "Do not show this message again"
On your other issue: If Outclass does miss any messages for whatever reason, you can just highlight them all and choose "Classify Now."
AG
Hmm... I've been noticing more and more that whenever I'm POP'ing mail (about every 2 minutes currently) everything in Outlook freezes for a long moment.
I can't delete or move items, and even any typing I'm doing in an e-mail freezes for a moment and goes into the buffer.
Will the integration of OC into POPfile improve this situation, or is this yet another sad indication that I need to replace my beloved PII 700mhz system? :|
Okay, and another question:
I'm a bit confused about the concept of 'multiple inboxes' with Outlook 2002.
I have messages from one discussion group sent to a particular folder using Outlook rules, and I'd like to have OC handle these e-mails.
So I specified this particular folder as a second inbox, but OC still seems to ignore messages put into this folder.
Any ideas?
The pause you experience is caused by loading the corpus for each message. That should improve significantly when POPFile gets the new API and Outlcass starts using it.
As for your multiple Inbox question. Outlook Rules fire before Outclass. If a Rule handles a message, Outclass does not see it. If you already have a Rule set up to move mail to a certain folder, then having Outclass look at it seems to me like it would be redundant anyway. If your mailing list gets a lot of spam posted to it, then you might want to just ditch the Rule and add another bucket and let Outclass decide whether or not that mail should be moved to that folder.
AG