In order to understand the never-ending fights between developers of anti-spam detection techniques and the spammers; it is important to have an insight of the history of spam mails. On May 3, 1978, Gary Thuerk, a marketing manager at Digital Equipment Corporation sent his first mass email to more than 400 customers over the Arpanet in order to promote and sell Digital's new T-Series of VAX systems (Streitfeld, 2003). In this regard, he said, “It's too much work to send everyone an e-mail. So we'll send one e-mail to everyone”. He said with pride, “I was the pioneer. I saw a new way of doing things.” As every coin has two sides, any technology too can be utilized for good and bad intention. At that time, Gary Thuerk would have never dreamt of this method of sending mails to emerge as an area of research in future. Gary Thuerk ended up getting crowned as the father of spam mails instead of the father of e-marketing. In the present scenario, the internet receives 2.5 billion pieces of spam a day by spiritual followers of Thuerk.
Technological Substitutions in the Computer Industry
