mcafee-spamassassin-rules

[Johann Spies <js...@sun.ac.za>]

We are using Mcafee's anti-virus product on our mailservers and we
mirror their files from ftp.nai.com on an hourly basis. Today I saw
something that I did not realise they provide:
mcafee-spamassassin-perl-1.0.2620-1.5002.i386.rpm
mcafee-spamassassin-rules-1.0.2620-2620.5002.i386.rpm

I thought that if they provide updated rules on a daily basis, I can
just as well try and use those rules.  However, they were written for
version 2.6 and 3.0.3-2sarge1 is complaining about those rules.

Is there a way to utilize their updates with the later versions of
spamassassin?  Or do I have to use there version of spamassassin to do
so?  Would that be advisable?

Regards
Johann
-- 
Johann Spies          Telefoon: 021-808 4036
Informasietegnologie, Universiteit van Stellenbosch

     "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a  
      branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast
      them into the fire, and they are burned."             
                                             John 15:6 

Re: mcafee-spamassassin-rules

[Theo Van Dinter <fe...@apache.org>]

On Fri, Oct 27, 2006 at 12:25:53PM +0200, Johann Spies wrote:
> just as well try and use those rules.  However, they were written for
> version 2.6 and 3.0.3-2sarge1 is complaining about those rules.

My recollection is that they're using a pre-3.0 version of SA, with (I'd
imagine) a number of modifications.

> Is there a way to utilize their updates with the later versions of
> spamassassin?  Or do I have to use there version of spamassassin to do
> so?  Would that be advisable?

It's hard to say since they could have modified their SA in any number
of ways.  You'd want to go through the config line by line and see what
can be used directly, what could be used with modification, and what
can't be used because it requires proprietary changes.  It's also worth
keeping in mind that spam detection isn't just about rules, it's also about
the engine, so just because rules work well with their code doesn't mean it'll
work well on the standard code.

It's also worth noting that hypothetically, if I was a company releasing
updates based on an open-source product, I may have incentive to avoid
making those updates useful on said product, otherwise people would
download my updates and not pay me for the software.

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