Hotmail Delivers Far Fewer Emails with Attachments

biednyFacet writes "It has long been suspected that there is a silent policy that makes Hotmail automatically delete the majority of attachments to save on bandwidth and internal disk space. Therefore it really doesn't matter if every client has access to 2GB of storage since they don't deliver the attachments to fill that space up anyway. If that truly is the case, then Microsoft may be liable for several hundred million cases of conspiracy and mail fraud."

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[Architect_sasyr]

Email is not ruled by the same laws governing the USPS.

Assuming the statistics are correct (81%? I've never lost a single email) I would assume that the laws are EXACTLY the same as the USPS (or the AusPOST for that matter). ;)

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[eclectro]

the name "Microsoft" just turns of the "rational thinking" switch.

No, it just turns the screen blue.

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[SnowZero]

What was that thing they used to say when I was a kid about assuming?

State all your assumptions or we will crush you!

(well at least if you grew up in SOVIET RUSSIA)

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[zCyl]

There's probably a loophole in the ToS anyway to cover this.

Like giving people a full refund? :)

Thanks for wasting my time

[Anonymous Coward]

WORST

ARTICLE

EVER.

How about that.

[Anonymous Coward]

It has long been suspected that there is a silent policy that makes network routers automatically drop packets to save on bandwidth. Therefore it really doesn't matter if every client has access to 1 GB/s of Ethernet, since the routers don't deliver the packets to fill up that bandwidth anyway. If that's truly the case, then router manufacturers may be liable for several hundred billion cases of conspiracy and wire fraud.

Not only mail fraud and conspiracy

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only mail fraud and conspiracy - don't forget kidnapping (if the attachments were ever sentient) and probably murder (same)

Re:How about that.

[Anonymous Coward]

From TFA:

If Intent Can Be Proven, Cisco Could Face Millions Of Packets Fraud Charges

Cisco's market capitalization is approximately $133 billion dollars. Let's put that into a bit of perspective. That's enough money to feed and provide medical care for every single AIDS orphan in Africa for 101 years. To put it another way, it's a pile of stacked $100 bills 10 feet wide, 24 feet deep and 16.8 stories high.

You would think that someone in San Jose, California could take time out from counting all that money to actually do something to earn it? Like maybe fix the ridiculously obvious and painful bugs that have been haunting Cisco users not since the launch of CRS-1, not since the launch of Cisco 12000, not since the launch of Cisco 10000, not since the launch of Cisco 7000, but since before the launch of Cisco SB107?

Haha, you say! What bug could possibly have survived Microsoft's insecticide for so long? Since Microsoft took over Cerent Corp in 1999, almost a full decade ago, Cisco users have decried the loss of data packets. For the uninitiated, here's how it works...

Step 1: Drop packets
Step 2: ???
Step 3: Profit!

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[ameyer17]

Yeah, I hear their spam filter sucks. I never said their attempt was particularly successful.

Re:Junkmail

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot articles in .rar files.

Profit?

[Z80xxc!]

1. Send a bunch of emails with attachments and with titles like "V!agra", "OEM CHEEP Sotware", "Slashdot Daily FUD", etc.
2. Never check spam box
3. Write an article full of FUD
4. Submit is to Slashdot
5. ???
6. Profit!!

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[kennygraham]

Oh, I remember. To ASSUME makes you think things are mail fraud when they're not, because you really have no knowledge of the relevant laws, but you think you do! How could I have forgotten. I like your version too tho. :)

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[scbysnx]

NO .. to make assumptions makes an ass out of you.. and mumptions

hmmm...

[WeeBit]

Quick! everyone test that theory. Best way to find out is to send attachments to Hotmail accounts. In the news... Hotmail was brought to it's knees after several hundred thousand users tested the service to see if their attachments would actually get through. Film at 11. /nutty humor

It balances out

[SmlFreshwaterBuffalo]

Therefore it really doesn't matter if every client has access to 2GB of storage since they don't deliver the attachments to fill that space up anyway.

Don't worry. They more than make up for it with extra spam to fill the void.

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[Gentlewhisper]

>> What was that thing they used to say when I was a kid about assuming?

It makes an ass out of u and ming?

Lots of Mings in china though, be careful with your insults!

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's pretty simple: you are allowed, in return, to display some of your ads to Hotmail staff.

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[geggibus]

Sweet. It's so hard to find a place to advertise my goatcx t-shirts..

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[Hal_Porter]

Dear Friend,

Please do not be offended to receive my message in this manner as I ought to have sought your consent and approval before e-mailing this proposal to you. I acted as I did due to the importance and urgency the situation demanded.

I own just over half of the 'Spam' accounts on hotmail and I will soon receive just over half of the $31 million dollar refund. I need some help transferring this money out of Nigeria...

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[aichpvee]

Jackasses tend to give away their opinions for free on /. all the time.

Re:Exaggeration? Naaah.

[Larry Lightbulb]

I'm supposed to put my head through that hole?

Re:Really?

[Mister Whirly]

They deleted my attachments, so I sued them and won. I just got my settlement voucher for 50% off the price of IE 7. Thanks Microsoft!!

Re:Similar Behaviour Witnessed

[orkysoft]

It appears that hotmail randomly deletes some incoming mail, but never if it's from another hotmail user.

That's to encourage people to migrate to Hotmail. It's a well-known Microsoft marketing strategy. Things just don't work right if you mix Microsoft software with other software.