[herkalees]

So my lovely parents are using Outlook Express (probably no chance in changing that due to the amount of old email they save) and they're fed up with the spam...

I'm seeking opinions/advice/experience on a (preferably) free, or very little cost, plugin/add-on/etc. that'll help them to fight the amount of spam they get.

Moms gets POP3 from a comcast account, Dads gets POP3 from a domain that I host for him (I could look into enabling something in his cPanel...)

Software/plugin/etc would be ideal though...

Thoughts?

[sub]

Use Gmail's spam filtering.

Configure Email Client List

[Hunch]

Seconded. There's no other answer comes close.

[datahound]

On your dads domain if not already as so make sure no catchall account?

Set catchall to :fail: is how it works on my system than set him up a individual mailbox.

[herkalees]

Thunderbird was suggested to me - it can (I think) pick up all of the old mail in Outlook Express (which will be a requirement) and it potentially has a much better spam filter. Can anybody confirm?

Sadly, it will most likely need to be a software/plugin solution - if I could get them using Gmail, I certainly would. I also know that I could have their accounts POP3'd into Gmail, allow it to do all the filtering, then POP3 what's left into their Outlook Express inbox... but I fear what will happen when they send an email and it goes through three stages... A software solution will just be easier for them.

So, Thunderbird users, how is it's spam-filtering skills?

[sub]

No need to use Gmail.
You can simply forward your parents email accounts to Gmail and pick up Gmail messages in Outlook - less the spam.

Although, might be worth checking the spam folder from time to time as Gmails filter can be pretty ruthless at times.

[rustybones]

So I was going to suggest Spambayes which I use at work and its bloody fantastic, but unfortunately it does not work in Outlook Express.

However if you move your folks over to Thunderbird, there is an extension here: pieces.openpolitics.com/thunderbayes

Which is Spambayes for Thunderbird, its pretty tight

[steveb]

Never mind all the rerouting bollocks, just open Gmail accounts for them.