Posted by dorayme on 10/11/06 22:20

In article
<1160555887.423120.98140@k70g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"John Dunlop" <usenet+2004@john.dunlop.name> wrote:

> [re e-mail address obfuscation]
>
> jojo:
>
> > You can improve that: use HTML-Entities for "mailto:" and hex-entities
> > (%41 for A) for the email-adress itself.
>
> ...the one going against if not the word then the spirit of HTML4.01,
> the other against the spirit of RFC3986. Character references were
> made for when it is inconvenient or impossible to enter a character
> directly, for example, when there is no key for it on the keyboard or
> the character isn't displayable.
>

Ah but you see, it is like this Jock, recall, for example,
Burning Mississippi. Gene Hackman, second in command of an FBI
hunt is rearing to bring in his team of ex-crim
mission-impossible not-totally-law-abiding but
now-on-the-side-of-the-good-guys to break the back of the
low-down no-good scumbag-leadership of the KKK responsible for a
triple murder. The FBI leader, Agent Alan Ward, makes your sort
of speech, and holds out for high principles and gets bloody
nowhere! Things start to happen soon as the fabulously
charismatic Hackman is allowed to follow his instincts.

> likewise attempts at
> obfuscating markup - are trivial to bypass, even by e-mail address
> harvesters. I should emphasize that I'm not saying that attempts at
> obfuscation will universally fail, only that it takes little effort to
> overcome them.
>

If it is so little effort, what is your theory about why it is so
effective (if it is as recent indications suggest)? Perhaps I can
help you:

Similar speeches are made like yours about the value of security
bars on windows and doors. "Ha", says my neighbour opposite, "I
could get through with a good crowbar in 15 secs!".

Sure he could - if he wants to die by the claws of my specially
and lovingly trained 16 year old cat.

The point is this though: robbers tend to go for the low lying
fruit first and there is plenty enough of that to go around. Do
you understand what I am saying? No need to crash through even
slightly heavier security.

--
dorayme

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