Issues since last Apple Update

There as a OSX update today which has bumped the OS up to Mac OS X 10.6.5 (10H574).

Since this update Mail reported a issue with SpamSieve and disabled the addon.

Is this just me or are others affected?

The SpamSieve plug-in is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6.5, so I think this will only happen if you have other plug-ins installed, too. Just make sure that you’re using SpamSieve 2.8.4 and choose Install Apple Mail Plug-In from the SpamSieve menu.

No chance
It doesn’t work.

Please try restarting your Mac. What happens when you tell SpamSieve to install the Apple Mail plug-in? Does it do so? What happens when you then launch Mail?

rebooted…
Spamsieve automatically gets disabled when I try to reinstall the plug in. And since I rebooted, my iPod is incompatible too, apparently. I’m not impressed with the latest Snow Leopard update.

It sounds like there may be something else going on with your Mac. However, to double-check, please choose About SpamSieve from the SpamSieve menu. When you scroll down to the bottom, what does it say for the version of the Apple Mail plug-in?

What files do you see in the folders:

/Users/<username>/Library/Mail/Bundles
/Library/Mail/Bundles

?

Lastly, what is the exact error message that you see when the plug-in is disabled?

How do I get 2.8.4?
When I try to update, I get a message: ‘unable to connect to server’. Nothing wrong with my BB connection.

I don’t know what “BB” stands for. Perhaps you’re using a software firewall (such as Little Snitch) that’s blocking SpamSieve’s automatic Software Update feature from connecting to the Internet. You can always download the latest version of SpamSieve from this page using your Web browser. Then follow the updating instructions in the Read Me file.

Install error
First I get this:

SpamSieve installed its plug-in at:

SpamSieve.mailbundle - ~/Library/Mail/Bundles

Please quit Apple Mail if it is open. The plug-in will load the next time you launch Apple Mail. Then you should follow the instructions in Section 3.1 of the SpamSieve Manual for creating a SpamSieve rule in Apple Mail.

Then I get this:

Mail has disabled the following plug-ins:

SpamSieve

Contact the makers of these plug-ins for versions that are compatible with Mail 4.4 and Message 4.4.

And when I try to update Spamsieve, I get this: Could not connect to the server.

OK, this probably just means that you’re using an old version of SpamSieve. SpamSieve 2.8.4 is required for compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6.5.

I already paid for it. But it won’t let me update to 2.8.4. Yes I have a firewall, but Little Snitch isn’t configured to shut out … erm, Damn! I feel really stupid now. Update currently downloading (blush). So sorry… But I have to say Little Snitch is very good. All installed and fully functional. Derrr… I feel so dumb. I forgot to switch it off in Little Snitch.

‘BB’ = BroadBand

I’m really sorry for being a thick person, I never thought of Little Snitch. Please accept my apologies.

No problem. I’m thinking that maybe SpamSieve should look for Little Snitch if it can’t connect to the Internet so that it can give you a better error message…

Interesting thought. OK, I’ll come clean, I tried Spamsieve on the Pirate Bay avenue at first, and used LS to cut me off. But I was so impressed, I bought it. And forgot to switch off the connection blocker in Little Snitch! I hope you will forgive me.

Status So Far
I ran SpamSieve once more and had it install for Apple Mail. It placed all my email even that which was marked non spam into the SPAM folder. When I selected the mail and told SpamSieve this was not spam (from the menu as well as key combo) it took a few attempts to get it to move the mail back to my inbox.

Weird stuff, I will keep an eye on it over the next week and see how it goes.

NOTE: I also have the Mail Act On installed:
http://www.indev.ca/MailActOn.html

which I hope is not conflicting with SpamSieve.

That typically means that SpamSieve’s plug-in wasn’t loaded.

SpamSieve and MailActOn are compatible.

I could not get SpamSieve “as is” to load. (Mail kept disabling the .mailbundle.)
The following procedure allowed Mail to load SpamSieve.
It seems that, once loaded, SpamSieve 2.8.4 is working properly.
Question: Does changing the plist in this manner cause any problems?

====
Procedure: Warning: This procedure worked for me; but I might have mistyped or inadvertently omitted something, so use with care. YMMV.)

  1. If Mail announced that the SpamSieve Plugin does not work with Mail, it will move the SpamSieve.mailbundle to from the ~/Library/Mail/Bundles folder to the ~/Library/Mail/Bundles (Disabled) folder. (or maybe Bundles (Disabled)1 or Bundles (Disabled)2, …)
  2. Using a text editor (TextEdit, TextWrangler, BB Edit,…) open the Info.plist at ~/Library/Mail/Bundles (Disabled)/SpamSieve.mailbundle/Contents or
    ~/Library/Mail/Bundles/SpamSieve.mailbundle/Contents
  3. At the bottom of the plist is an array of strings after the key that reads:
    <key>SupportedPluginCompatibilityUUIDs</key>
  4. Add the two following strings to the list of strings:
    <string>857A142A-AB81-4D99-BECC-D1B55A86D94E</string>
    <string>BDD81F4D-6881-4A8D-94A7-E67410089EEB</string>
  5. Save the plist.
  6. If SpamSieve.mailbundle has been moved out of ~/Library/Mail/Bundles folder into a (Disabled) folder move it back to ~/Library/Mail/Bundles/
  7. Relaunch Mail (maybe twice).
    =======

The SpamSieve 2.8.4 plug-in already includes those UUIDs. Are you sure that you had 2.8.4 installed? I do not recommend that end-users make any modifications to the software.

My apologies! I found >my< error. I did, in fact, install 2.8.4. But in my rush, I did not follow the upgrade instructions and skipped the bundle install step. “RTFI Emil!”

My mail was going to the junk folder, so I went about “fixing” the bundle it myself. I checked for a OS X 10.6.5 comment on the SpamSieve page - and if it was there, I missed it. I found no bundle in Bundles folder and one bundle in Bundles (Disabled) folder. (I did not know that it was an old bundle from who knows when.) That was the bundle I modified. SpamSieve loaded, but who knows what I may have broken.

I since trashed the modified bundle, reinstalled 2.8.4 using the instructions, and everything works as advertised.