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There was a time when I could deal with junk e-mail by simply pressing my computer's <Delete> key. Now, with 1000 or so pieces of spam flooding my in-box every day, I need help from my e-mail software. The latest version of Qualcomm's Eudora offers enough assistance to warrant investing in the $50 paid version--the only Eudora version that offers new preloaded antispam plug-ins.

The SpamWatch suite of antispam tools in Eudora 6 includes a junk-mail detection engine that, right out of the box, quarantines a majority of spam by analyzing its content. Better yet, you can train the filter by identifying junk mail that escapes detection and lands in your in-box. The software's ability to learn distinguishes Eudora's junk filter from Outlook 2003's, which can specify only that new sender addresses be either blocked or trusted. This evaluation process will make downloading your e-mail with the spam-fighting version slower than normal, but it's worth it.

When first training Eudora's junk filter, you must visit the junk mailbox frequently to identify missorted legitimate mail. Eudora helps you to separate the wheat from the chaff by showing a junk mail score for each message (a numerical value from 1 to 100, where 100 is identified as junk and 1 as legitimate mail).

You can save a lot of time by quickly looking at the lower-scored messages, which are by far the most likely to be legitimate. You can also make sure that any mail coming from a sender in your address book gets through (although this may make you more vulnerable to attacks from people who have spoofed return addresses). In my tests with shipping software, the spam filtering worked very well after a few days of training.

You can still get Eudora's free versions: The Light mode has minimal features, and the Sponsored mode runs ads but delivers all features except SpamWatch. However, if your in-box is under siege from spammers, maybe it's time to pony up the $50--less for most upgraders--for the full-featured version.

Qualcomm Eudora 6

Powerful antispam technology, but only in the paid version.
Price when reviewed: $50 (Paid mode); free (Sponsored and Light modes)
Current prices (if available)