> > Actually a lot of service providers are doing this and in fact,
> > Earthlink has been doing this for quite some time now.
> >
> > If it reduces spam, it's a good thing.
>
>In general, I agree with you on this point.  However, this also punishes
>those people who do know what they are doing.

Maybe, but surprisingly enough, you're not their target audience. If every
single sysadmin-geek on their service cancelled their service tomorrow, Cox
*might* notice.

On the other hand, if their help-desk volume of spam complaints drops even
5%, they will *definitely* notice.

As for doing customized exceptions for folks like us, that's nice to think
of, but it becomes a huge support issue for a large ISP to maintain those
exceptions. It's far, far easier to set the rules evenly across the board.
For them, custom support==money.

Michael J. Sheldon
http://www.desertraven.com/
Make a fast friend, adopt a greyhound!