Sunday, May 6, 2001

I could have just said Eat Shit and Die, but no.

TO: Arlen Dixon, CEOPinewood Software Marketing

I just got two pieces of spam over your signature. One had this header:

To: [email protected]Date: Sun, 06 May 2001 09:15:48 -0500Cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], Reply-To: [email protected]From: [email protected]Subject: You Can Boost Windows reliability!!!!Sender: [email protected]

And one had this header (in this case I'll expose the verbose content, leaving out my own ISPs server info):

From proxys.methodus.pt ([193.126.240.1]) id JAA10458; Sun, 6 May 2001 09:12:18 -0400 (EDT)Errors-To: <[email protected]>Received: from mail4.highlandnow.com ([38.33.20.159]) by proxys.methodus.pt with Microsoft SMTPSVC(5.5.1877.197.19);Sun, 6 May 2001 14:08:47 +0100Subject: Learn How To Boost Windows reliability!!CC: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (Win95; U)From: [email protected]Date: Sun, 06 May 2001 09:15:25 -0500Content-Type: text/htmlContent-Transfer-Encoding: 8BITTo: [email protected]X-UIDL: 25195

Both emails had this body copy:

Dear Windows User,
Now you can boost the reliability of ordinary Windows 95, 98 and ME to nearly the level of Windows NT or 2000, Microsoft's professional and industrial version of Windows.

The new WinFix is a very effective way to improve the reliability of Windows, because it makes Windows fault-tolerant and self-repairing.

And WinFix is very safe, because it operates completely independent of Windows.

CLICK HERE to find out more about WinFix, the safest, most effective way to keep you working, by keeping your PC working non-stop.

Arlen Dixon, CEO
Pinewood Software Marketing

-------------------------------------------------------

This announcement is intended for PC users who asked to be keptinformed about new developments in Windows technology.

To be removed from future mailings, please reply with REMOVE in the subject line.

I note that your site contains zero information about your company, and about you. Your Email Us page contains no email address, but rather a form to fill out. Above the form is this ironic promise: Your information is kept on a secure server, and we will not sell, rent nor give it away. How kind of you.

Your marketing, of course, consists entirely of spam. Aside from that and your Web site, you have no profile at all.

Your site is apparently right to say that ZDNet gave your product, WinFix, a good review: four stars. But according to ZDNet user feedback, the product is shit: a one-star average, weighed down, of course, by remarks about your spamming policy.

Since the page you're reading actually gets plenty of inbound links (the kind Google just loves), I'm writing this open letter in faith that when potential customers look up WinFix and Arlen Dixon at their favorite search engine, they'll get lucky when this fair warning appear at the top of the list of search results.

— Doc