Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

utcc.utoronto.ca

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

441–450 of 519 posts

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#441

Post by mekster »

gerdesj wrote: post #436
mekster wrote: post #435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's only probably your domains already have enough reputations. I don't think you understand the complexity of having your emails marked as spams on newer domains. I've also been running my domain email for 15 years or so and configurations are easy but I still rely on external delivery services just so I get less chance of being flagged as spam.

"I don't think you understand the complexity of having your emails marked as spams on newer domains." I've been doing email for 25 years (not 15), I have a few ideas about how it works.

Since you think setting a few DNS entries would solve the problem, I doubt that.

Have you configured a new domain for emails and got them work fine against Gmail etc?

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#442

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

pyrale wrote: post #122

I would really say that "running your own email" is a set of things that can be done independently: - Getting your own domain and using a provider such as fastmail or proton is a first step that gives you lots of security fom arbitrary. Because you own the doorstep, you can change provider without having to inform all your contacts of the move. You're also more secure from unilateral moves from your provider. -Hostin…

Qualifier to add to #3. Sending mail to other recipients who are running their own mail server (for themselves not for others) is not "real hard".

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#443

Post by _0ffh »

pyrale wrote: post #122

I would really say that "running your own email" is a set of things that can be done independently: - Getting your own domain and using a provider such as fastmail or proton is a first step that gives you lots of security fom arbitrary. Because you own the doorstep, you can change provider without having to inform all your contacts of the move. You're also more secure from unilateral moves from your provider. -Hostin…

Yeah, I've gone with the compromise of my own domain and a rented managed server for the last twenty years or so. Works well enough for me. I like to be able to give different email addresses every time I need to register somewhere. Keeps my personal address free of spam.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#444

Post by slenk »

ajdude wrote: post #102

A couple years so I set up a mailinabox server on a vm for my personal email. Incredibly simple, $5/month and “just works”; I can even sync my contacts and calendar. My only complaint was the graylisting but I quickly resolved that with a configuration file.

Mailcow enables greylisting too and they highly suggest not to disable it...but I really can't see a valid reason for it in the first place.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#445

Post by cutler »

One thing running your own SMTP/IMAP protects you from is faceless lockouts. My partner was locked out of her Hotmail account and no matter how much evidence she provided Microsoft's shame-faced automated system refused to give her access. No court of appeal, nothing. Turns out she has an important email regarding her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the account containing a UAN she now needs access to in order to apply for a Biometric Residence Card to ensure she can continue to work in the UK. Fuck big email providers, I say. Legislation needs to be passed to make them accountable when locking-out users from their accounts.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#446

Post by invalidator »

nimbius wrote: post #395
pyrale wrote: post #122

I would really say that "running your own email" is a set of things that can be done independently: - Getting your own domain and using a provider such as fastmail or proton is a first step that gives you lots of security fom arbitrary. Because you own the doorstep, you can change provider without having to inform all your contacts of the move. You're also more secure from unilateral moves from your provider. -Hostin…

you could argue dmarc, dkim, and SPF were all invented as barriers to entry for small mail servers as the majority of internet SPF is permissive and the majority of DKIM is misconfigured. imo, senderbase and other reputation/policy proprietary shit-lists used by anyone with a Symantec or Cisco email product only served to convert the unwashed to a corporate license as most of these mechanical turks just paid the same…

SPF/DKIM aren't meant to solve spam directly. They are aimed at sender forgery.

The real benefit of SPF is for outgoing mail. People no longer forge my domains. It stops backscatter. It has almost eliminated the mistaken spam reports to my ISP by people who don't understand mail headers.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#447

Post by scoot »

cutler wrote: post #445

One thing running your own SMTP/IMAP protects you from is faceless lockouts. My partner was locked out of her Hotmail account and no matter how much evidence she provided Microsoft's shame-faced automated system refused to give her access. No court of appeal, nothing. Turns out she has an important email regarding her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the account containing a UAN she now needs access to in order to apply…

Since from your comment she appears to be in the UK, GDPR right of access still applies. She can get a copy of the data, even if not access to the account.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#448

Post by tambourine_man »

stiray wrote: post #230
pyrale wrote: post #122

I would really say that "running your own email" is a set of things that can be done independently: - Getting your own domain and using a provider such as fastmail or proton is a first step that gives you lots of security fom arbitrary. Because you own the doorstep, you can change provider without having to inform all your contacts of the move. You're also more secure from unilateral moves from your provider. -Hostin…

Internet was meant to be decentralized. Lets leave it this way. I am running my server for 15 years and couldn't be more happy with "artisan" infrastructure. I don't want or use webmail (sluggish), I don't want others fingerpoking my emails, I don't want various compulsory registration systems (like requiring my phone number out of """security""" reasons like google), giving others the ability to kill my account and…

I assume you have a fixed IP. That's a non trivial part of the process.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#449

Post by bsder »

einpoklum wrote: post #397
bsder wrote: post #356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [Edit] My point is that it's not hard to set up an artisan mail system; what's hard is that you create a job for yourself that is at the same time networking, user-facing, and technical. It's an interesting learning point, and I recommend it. But don't underestimate what you are taking on. This. So much this. I will happily run my "artisinal" mail system for myself. Would I put customers on it? Oh, hell, no. I, sad…

Please don't recommend to people to pay money to have all their email communications read and stored by Microsoft, the US government and possibly other parties. There are plenty of other email providers which are worth considering, and I'm sure some of them have half-decent customer support.

> I'm sure some of them have half-decent customer support.

You would, sadly, be wrong.

Microsoft customer support is "least bad" among the email providers.

That is a massive indictment of email providers, but it is what it is.

Re: Running your own email is increasingly an artisanal choice, not a practical one

#450

Post by zaphirplane »

This reminded me of

SHAMELESS

“If you want to impress him, use the word ‘artisanal’ a lot. It’s how fancy people say ‘good.’ Artisanal cheese, artisanal soap…”

“Wow, where did you learn all this?”

“Artisanal private school.”

Post reply on HN