Spam for Linux consultants [LWN.net]

The Linux Consultants Guide (once the Consultants HOWTO) is a longstanding resource for Linux consultants who wish to get their names out to potential clients. In recent times, this guide has been maintained by the folks at Command Prompt; it is still part of the Linux Documentation Project collection.

It turns out that there is a price for being listed in the Guide, however: commercial email from Command Prompt. This mail contains the following text:

You have received this press release because you were are listed in the Linux Consultants Guide database. If you do not wish to receive communications from Command Prompt, Inc -- you may ask to be removed from the Linux Consultants Guide.

The only way to avoid receiving spam from Command Prompt, in other words, is to be removed from the Guide altogether.

We asked Command Prompt about this policy, and were told: "Nothing is truly free, not even Linux. You have to pay somewhere, whether it be mental/physical resources, money, time... but there is always a cost. Our cost to our listers is communication." They also noted that this policy "is not really published anywhere".

A commercial email every month or so could well be a fair price for inclusion in the consultants database. But people should be informed of the bargain before it is made. As it is, nobody who is receiving this commercial mail has actually agreed to be on that list. Given that the document's license also violates the Linux Documentation Project's guidelines (it prohibits distribution in printed or modified form), one could well ask if the Consultants Guide should still be part of the LDP collection.

to post comments

Spam for Linux consultants

Posted May 1, 2003 19:58 UTC (Thu) by yodermk (guest, #3803) [Link]

Not to defend them, but it should be noted that this kind of "spam" isn't much of a problem. They're not firing off millions of penis enlargement spams with forged headers. They're not crashing mail servers and making a nuissance of themselves, and they are e-mailing people who might be reasonably interested in what they are offering. Given the fact that they are maintaining the guide as a service, it seems somewhat reasonable.

But yes, there probably should be a way to opt-out without being removed from the Guide.

Spam for Linux consultants

Posted May 2, 2003 3:19 UTC (Fri) by bferrell (subscriber, #624) [Link]

If nothing else, I'm sure someone would be willing to step up and host an ALternative list. If there's interest, contact me. I promise not spam :)