Ligiu Uiorean

- Home: https://uiorean.com/
- Posts: https://uiorean.com/posts/
- Bani publici, cod public: am analizat inițiativa legislativă privind codul sursă deschis în sectorul public.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-07-01-bani-publici-cod-public-analiza-legii-codului-sursa-deschis/
- Two things airports get wrong about replacing an AODB.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-30-two-things-airports-get-wrong-about-replacing-an-aodb/
- LOFIC sensors and the promise of huge dynamic range: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-29-lofic-sensors-and-dynamic-range/
- My mom asked me if AI is going to affect us.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-29-my-mom-asked-me-if-ai-is-going-to-affect-us/
- We are working through the design of a new performance-linked bonus at AirportLabs.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-25-we-are-working-through-the-design-of-a-new-performance/
- Division of Labour in the Time of AI: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-22-division-of-labour-in-the-time-of-ai/
- My son finished kindergarten today.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-19-my-son-finished-kindergarten-today/
- Two months ago I wrote: vendor-managed AI degrades silently.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-16-two-months-ago-i-wrote-vendor-managed-ai-degrades-silently/
- The most uncomfortable number in aviation this year is not in the profit forecast.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-15-the-most-uncomfortable-number-in-aviation-this-year-is-not/
- I was in Paris with my family the other week.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-13-i-was-in-paris-with-my-family-the-other-week/
- The FIDS (Flight Information Dissemination System) should present the most relevant Information for passengers at each touchpoint.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-11-the-fids-flight-information-dissemination-system-should/
- What is an acquisition?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-06-10-what-is-an-acquisition/
- Brilliant showcase of the AirportLabs RealTime platform, proudly running at DOH: https://lnkd.in/du79DGZy: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-05-13-brilliant-showcase-of-the-airportlabs-realtime-platform/
- A customer told me, recently, that he was told gate allocation at an airport is rather like playing Tetris.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-05-07-a-customer-told-me-recently-that-he-was-told-gate/
- You watch the news.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-05-05-you-watch-the-news/
- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 "𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐮𝐩?" 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 "𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨?": https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-28-the-question-is-no-longer-is-the-ai-up-it-is-is-the-ai/
- Our BA interns did not spend their first weeks in a training room.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-23-our-ba-interns-did-not-spend-their-first-weeks-in-a/
- A "Black Swan" used to be the rare event that reshaped a season.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-22-a-black-swan-used-to-be-the-rare-event-that-reshaped-a/
- Boston Consulting Group (BCG) just published one of the clearest articulations of where leading airports are headed, and it is the model that AirportLabs customers are already running.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-21-boston-consulting-group-bcg-just-published-one-of-the/
- Fraport Greece deployed the AirportLabs Community App across their entire Greek network in four months:: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-20-fraport-greece-deployed-the-airportlabs-community-app/
- ACI Just Confirmed: AirportLabs runs the World's Busiest Airport: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-15-aci-just-confirmed-airportlabs-runs-the-world-s-busiest/
- Setting the pace in the industry and on the track. Inspiring work!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-03-setting-the-pace-in-the-industry-and-on-the-track-inspiring/
- I think energy price arbitrage through AI load shifting is going to be a real business.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-04-03-i-think-energy-price-arbitrage-through-ai-load-shifting-is/
- Weird weekend flex from the AirportLabs SkyCore AODB team.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-27-weird-weekend-flex-from-the-airportlabs-skycore-aodb-team/
- Tocmai am revenit de la PTE după anul cel mai încărcat de până acum.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-26-tocmai-am-revenit-de-la-pte-dupa-anul-cel-mai-incarcat-de/
- Speed creates opportunities.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-24-speed-creates-opportunities/
- Emil Boc e cel puțin incompetent și incompetența lui ne omoară.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-20-emil-boc-e-cel-putin-incompetent-si-incompetenta-lui-ne/
- So - at PTE 2025 we announced the contract, went live by August and this PTE the team is ready to discuss how we achieve faster time to value for airports.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-16-so-at-pte-2025-we-announced-the-contract-went-live-by/
- The weekend is when I remember that airports don’t care it’s Saturday.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-13-the-weekend-is-when-i-remember-that-airports-don-t-care-it/
- Aviation does not have time for 2-year software projects.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-12-aviation-does-not-have-time-for-2-year-software-projects/
- Following the recent events in the Middle East, I watched the AirportLabs team step up with a level of commitment that honestly blew me away.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-11-following-the-recent-events-in-the-middle-east-i-watched/
- A lot of airport tech still assumes that if the system knows something, the airport knows it.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-10-a-lot-of-airport-tech-still-assumes-that-if-the-system/
- Infinitely scalable.": https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-09-infinitely-scalable/
- To recap this roller-coaster week: it was a reminder that “the cloud” is still made of buildings, cables and people on the ground.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-06-to-recap-this-roller-coaster-week-it-was-a-reminder-that/
- Pentru prima dată într-un studiu din România, motivația principală a angajaților nu mai e salariul.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-05-pentru-prima-data-intr-un-studiu-din-romania-motivatia/
- I always thought (and hoped) "battle tested" would ONLY mean that our systems are proven in operation.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-04-i-always-thought-and-hoped-battle-tested-would-only-mean/
- An airport has a fixed number of gates, stands, check-in desks, baggage belts, and jet bridges.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-03-an-airport-has-a-fixed-number-of-gates-stands-check-in/
- Happy Mărțișor! 🌸: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-02-happy-martisor/
- The "Cloud" is still physical.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-03-02-the-cloud-is-still-physical/
- We know how much is being asked of everyone in the region right now.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-28-we-know-how-much-is-being-asked-of-everyone-in-the-region/
- Airlines that went all-in on one engine option for the A320neo have spent years dealing with groundings, lost capacity, and repair backlogs.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-27-airlines-that-went-all-in-on-one-engine-option-for-the/
- Apparently there's a tension in tech right now: companies are adopting AI fast, and at the same time cutting the pipeline of junior talent.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-26-apparently-there-s-a-tension-in-tech-right-now-companies/
- Airports are spending more on IT, but many still aren’t satisfied with the results.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-25-airports-are-spending-more-on-it-but-many-still-aren-t/
- McKinsey & Company’s research on smart airports is clear: the right integration and digital solutions can boost airport EBITDA by 6-8%, with much of that gain achievable within a few years.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-24-mckinsey-company-s-research-on-smart-airports-is-clear-the/
- Pilots that never land: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-23-pilots-that-never-land/
- Cei mai buni colegi au ajuns la noi prin programe de internship.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-21-cei-mai-buni-colegi-au-ajuns-la-noi-prin-programe-de/
- “Why is your stand so big?”: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-20-why-is-your-stand-so-big/
- Nu am mai deschis o poziție de acest fel de 4 ani.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-06-nu-am-mai-deschis-o-pozitie-de-acest-fel-de-4-ani/
- Fast deployment deserves a fast deep-dive.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-02-05-fast-deployment-deserves-a-fast-deep-dive/
- Heading into the weekend with some great news from Mexico! 🇲🇽: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-01-30-heading-into-the-weekend-with-some-great-news-from-mexico/
- Why do the world’s biggest operations trust AirportLabs Allegra RMS?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-01-29-why-do-the-world-s-biggest-operations-trust-airportlabs/
- Inside the Brain of the World’s Busiest International Airport ✈️🧠: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-01-22-inside-the-brain-of-the-world-s-busiest-international/
- It’s one thing to be a large airport; it’s another to operate with the efficiency required to be Number 1.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-01-21-it-s-one-thing-to-be-a-large-airport-it-s-another-to/
- 1 Million Workflows. Zero Paperwork.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2026-01-20-1-million-workflows-zero-paperwork/
- Watching the AirportLabs "Wrapped" video, I’m struck by one thing: Momentum.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-12-23-watching-the-airportlabs-wrapped-video-i-m-struck-by-one/
- For all Cluj people, AirportLabs will be participating in an open doors event that is becoming a tradition here.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-10-14-for-all-cluj-people-airportlabs-will-be-participating-in-an/
- Another year, another AirportLabs team running event in the books!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-09-21-another-year-another-airportlabs-team-running-event-in-the/
- Three years ago, we started the AirportLabs Online Learning Academy.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-27-three-years-ago-we-started-the-airportlabs-online-learning/
- This is what partnership looks like.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-26-this-is-what-partnership-looks-like/
- Absolutely thrilled and immensely proud to share that AirportLabs has won a Skift IDEA Award for 2025 for our Airport Community App!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-12-absolutely-thrilled-and-immensely-proud-to-share-that/
- Untold nu aduce prosperitate: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-08-untold-nu-aduce-prosperitate/
- An de an, auzim aceeași poveste, susținută fără rușine inclusiv de primar: Untold aduce prosperitate economică în Cluj-Napoca.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-07-an-de-an-auzim-aceeasi-poveste-sustinuta-fara-rusine/
- For engineers who thrive on technical challenges: Alexandra Moca is seeking new members for her team at AirportLabs.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-06-for-engineers-who-thrive-on-technical-challenges-alexandra/
- 2 Million Strong: AirportLabs Community App - the People and Data Platform That's Moving Aviation!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-08-05-2-million-strong-airportlabs-community-app-the-people-and/
- Yesterday's technical issue at the Swanwick Centre put UK air traffic operations to the test.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-07-31-yesterday-s-technical-issue-at-the-swanwick-centre-put-uk/
- It takes a global community to keep the world's airports running smoothly, and a huge part of that community is connected through the AirportLabs Airport Community App.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-07-18-it-takes-a-global-community-to-keep-the-world-s-airports/
- Ever notice how airports and airlines start telling you about your flight experience long before you even board?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-07-09-ever-notice-how-airports-and-airlines-start-telling-you/
- Are You Tracking Your 'Time To Wow'?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-07-07-are-you-tracking-your-time-to-wow/
- See our products live!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-07-04-see-our-products-live/
- Officially, it was a celebration of 10 years of innovation.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-07-04-officially-it-was-a-celebration-of-10-years-of-innovation/
- We do not see reality, we see our reality: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-06-26-we-do-not-see-reality-we-see-our-reality/
- ✈️ Airports are emotional environments — not just logistical ones.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-06-24-airports-are-emotional-environments-not-just-logistical-ones/
- At the beginning of the year I said we will be activating an airport a week this year.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-06-20-at-the-beginning-of-the-year-i-said-we-will-be-activating/
- ....a partner who never blinked – AirportLabs": https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-06-03-a-partner-who-never-blinked-airportlabs/
- 🇷🇴🇷🇴🇷🇴: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-05-18-post/
- Intern to department head in 5.5 years?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-05-08-intern-to-department-head-in-5-5-years/
- We're hiring a DevOps engineer for our Cluj office.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-05-07-we-re-hiring-a-devops-engineer-for-our-cluj-office/
- 🇷🇴🇷🇴🇷🇴: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-05-03-post/
- At least 50% of the world's busiest airports (by intl.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-04-16-at-least-50-of-the-world-s-busiest-airports-by-intl/
- International Gate Control (IGC)has chosen AirportLabs —proven in the world’s largest and most complex airports—to elevate operations at Chicago O’Hare International Airport!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-04-10-international-gate-control-igc-has-chosen-airportlabs/
- Thrilled to announce a paradigm shift in the aviation tech industry! 🚀: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-04-01-thrilled-to-announce-a-paradigm-shift-in-the-aviation-tech/
- The increasing global focus on tech sovereignty highlights the strategic importance of infrastructure independence, particularly for providers of critical services.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-03-24-the-increasing-global-focus-on-tech-sovereignty-highlights/
- Over 2.5M messages were pushed out this morning over the AirportLabs Community App regarding the flights disruption in the London area.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-03-21-over-2-5m-messages-were-pushed-out-this-morning-over-the/
- As AirportLabs turned 10, I’ve been thinking this morning about the moments that have truly defined us.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-03-08-as-airportlabs-turned-10-i-ve-been-thinking-this-morning/
- I usually steer clear of mainstream news and hype, but the recent wave of disruption caused by DeepSeek in the stock market is too impressive to ignore.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-01-28-i-usually-steer-clear-of-mainstream-news-and-hype-but-the/
- We just had one month with 0 critical incidents across hundreds of production systems.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-01-13-we-just-had-one-month-with-0-critical-incidents-across/
- Hey David LAVOREL Anamaria Beleiu did you really name your Cluj Office AirportLab?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-01-07-hey-david-lavorel-anamaria-beleiu-did-you-really-name-your/
- 🎉 Celebrating 10 Years of AirportLabs! 🎉: https://uiorean.com/posts/2025-01-05-celebrating-10-years-of-airportlabs/
- My last post about the need for 99.99% system availability in airports generated a lot of buzz – both within the aviation industry and beyond.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-12-13-my-last-post-about-the-need-for-99-99-system-availability/
- At AirportLabs, we live and breathe aviation high technology.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-12-06-at-airportlabs-we-live-and-breathe-aviation-high-technology/
- Been geeking out with the AirportLabs team over various companies' annual reports lately.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-11-29-been-geeking-out-with-the-airportlabs-team-over-various/
- One thing that AirportLabs may have triggered over the past 10 years is the change in system availability requirements in tenders.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-11-22-one-thing-that-airportlabs-may-have-triggered-over-the-past/
- At AirportLabs, we've spent the last decade transforming airports into dynamic, responsive hubs.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-11-15-at-airportlabs-we-ve-spent-the-last-decade-transforming/
- 10 years ago, I made a risky bet for AirportLabs: we built EVERYTHING in-house.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-11-08-10-years-ago-i-made-a-risky-bet-for-airportlabs-we-built/
- Nine years ago, when we first presented the 'Report a Fault' feature in the AirportLabs Airport Community App, an airport executive looked at me skeptically.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-11-01-nine-years-ago-when-we-first-presented-the-report-a-fault/
- It's been almost 9 years since AirportLabs launched the Airport Community App and I've just noticed that now we send over 40 million push notifications per month.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-10-25-it-s-been-almost-9-years-since-airportlabs-launched-the/
- The Red Dot Design Award certificate has landed just as we're about to on-board our 10th SkyCore customer!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-10-18-the-red-dot-design-award-certificate-has-landed-just-as-we/
- At AirportLabs we invest heavily in user interfaces, but for an AODB, a UI can actually be a sign of lack of automation.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-10-09-at-airportlabs-we-invest-heavily-in-user-interfaces-but-for/
- Forget code sprints, we just did a literal sprint! 🏃‍♀️: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-09-22-forget-code-sprints-we-just-did-a-literal-sprint/
- What an incredible journey it's been!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-09-20-what-an-incredible-journey-it-s-been/
- Red Dot?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-09-05-red-dot/
- If your airport staff spends more time fighting with their software than actually working, it's time for an upgrade.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-08-30-if-your-airport-staff-spends-more-time-fighting-with-their/
- Behind every seamless airport experience is a team empowered by great design.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-08-29-behind-every-seamless-airport-experience-is-a-team/
- I've always been drawn to innovative management concepts.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-08-09-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-innovative-management-concepts/
- AirportLabs' "unmeasured time off" policy is a shining example of how companies can empower employees and drive results.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-08-05-airportlabs-unmeasured-time-off-policy-is-a-shining-example/
- I believe the days of ugly, clunky corporate software should be over.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-07-31-i-believe-the-days-of-ugly-clunky-corporate-software-should/
- We're hearing about tonight's Azure and DigiCert incidents.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-07-30-we-re-hearing-about-tonight-s-azure-and-digicert-incidents/
- ✈️🛫 Calling all Senior Backend Developers! 🛫✈️: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-07-26-calling-all-senior-backend-developers/
- In the fast-paced world of aviation SaaS, talent is a prized asset.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-07-24-in-the-fast-paced-world-of-aviation-saas-talent-is-a-prized/
- Tough day for aviation and IT and as many of you may know, I'm always on top of events that impact our customers.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-07-19-tough-day-for-aviation-and-it-and-as-many-of-you-may-know-i/
- Throwback to that time I tried to inspire the public...: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-07-05-throwback-to-that-time-i-tried-to-inspire-the-public/
- 🎉 Congrats to the amazing team at AirportLabs on the launch of PocketFlights!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-06-07-congrats-to-the-amazing-team-at-airportlabs-on-the-launch/
- At the Dubai Airport Show, I had an incredible opportunity to meet a true leader in UAE aviation, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-05-14-at-the-dubai-airport-show-i-had-an-incredible-opportunity/
- So excited to see Ioana speak at the Dubai Airport Show!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-05-10-so-excited-to-see-ioana-speak-at-the-dubai-airport-show/
- Excited to announce that AirportLabs will be attending Passenger Terminal Expo in Frankfurt (April 16-18)!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-03-18-excited-to-announce-that-airportlabs-will-be-attending/
- Impressive view of AirportLabs' RealTime passenger flow in action!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-03-09-impressive-view-of-airportlabs-realtime-passenger-flow-in/
- Happy International Women's Day!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-03-08-happy-international-women-s-day/
- 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵 Welcome Japan!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-02-13-welcome-japan/
- I will be holding a presentation and Q&A session on the 15th of Feb.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-02-09-i-will-be-holding-a-presentation-and-q-a-session-on-the/
- Excited to share a project close to my heart - working together towards greater accessibility in travel for passengers with reduced mobility.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2024-02-05-excited-to-share-a-project-close-to-my-heart-working/
- What a fantastic year it's been in AirportLabs!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-12-20-what-a-fantastic-year-it-s-been-in-airportlabs/
- When your office has its very own Harvey Specter, you know the digital transformation talk is about to get as sharp as his suits.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-12-18-when-your-office-has-its-very-own-harvey-specter-you-know/
- Our team is mostly complete and high performing but this is a rare occasion when we're #hiring junior/mid in our product team.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-10-21-our-team-is-mostly-complete-and-high-performing-but-this-is/
- I've noticed that the disaster recovery requirements stipulated in contracts often demand service recovery within 24h.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-10-09-i-ve-noticed-that-the-disaster-recovery-requirements/
- I'll be holding a keynote speech at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-09-22-i-ll-be-holding-a-keynote-speech-at-the-world-aviation/
- Exciting news from AirportLabs!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-09-15-exciting-news-from-airportlabs/
- Conway's law posits that software often mirrors the structures of the organizations that create it.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-09-15-conway-s-law-posits-that-software-often-mirrors-the/
- Many airports fear that having critical systems in the cloud may pose a risk in case all Internet links are lost.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-09-13-many-airports-fear-that-having-critical-systems-in-the/
- Super proud of this one: AirportLabs can run its entire product lineup on any cloud and across multiple clouds, including private and bare metal infrastructure.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-09-11-super-proud-of-this-one-airportlabs-can-run-its-entire/
- First in a series of articles I coauthored, on how we build our products in AirportLabs: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-09-08-first-in-a-series-of-articles-i-coauthored-on-how-we-build/
- The Community App team at AirportLabs wrote a review of how the app was used during yesterday's nation wide air traffic control system failure in the UK.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-08-29-the-community-app-team-at-airportlabs-wrote-a-review-of-how/
- Read about the powerhouse behind the AirportLabs product suite - our planet scale integration engine - the AirportLabs Data Router.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-08-28-read-about-the-powerhouse-behind-the-airportlabs-product/
- In the past, business software often received minimal investment in UI/UX due to its limited evaluation in tenders, and end users had limited points of comparison.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-08-22-in-the-past-business-software-often-received-minimal/
- Dive into the pages of our inaugural post from an ongoing series spotlighting our products, technology, and the vibrant pulse of life within AirportLabs: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-08-21-dive-into-the-pages-of-our-inaugural-post-from-an-ongoing/
- We've just had a cool team outing at AirportLabs & our bi-annual Peer Bonus Points session: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-07-14-we-ve-just-had-a-cool-team-outing-at-airportlabs-our-bi/
- It's great to witness AirportLabs making a notable entrance into the public eye and actively engaging with the international aviation and tech community!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-07-07-it-s-great-to-witness-airportlabs-making-a-notable-entrance/
- I am humbled and proud to be part of such an exceptional team.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-06-19-i-am-humbled-and-proud-to-be-part-of-such-an-exceptional/
- Great way to end the week - AirportLabs Airport Community App launched in New York's airport system!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-05-12-great-way-to-end-the-week-airportlabs-airport-community-app/
- Building a company is incredibly hard and can only be achieved by lots of hard work and passion: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-04-03-building-a-company-is-incredibly-hard-and-can-only-be/
- Heading towards #PTExpoConf in Amsterdam.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-03-10-heading-towards-ptexpoconf-in-amsterdam/
- Yesterday's global outage of the Lufthansa  systems caught me with the entire family waiting for a LH flight in Munich Airport.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-02-16-yesterday-s-global-outage-of-the-lufthansa-systems-caught/
- Diseară voi schimba idei cu studenții de la FSEGA despre cum se construiesc companii.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-01-19-diseara-voi-schimba-idei-cu-studentii-de-la-fsega-despre/
- AirportLabs is 8 today and I thought it’s a good time to look at where we’ve been and think of where we’re heading.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2023-01-05-airportlabs-is-8-today-and-i-thought-it-s-a-good-time-to/
- ⚽⚽⚽ Do you have to travel during great sport events?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-11-10-do-you-have-to-travel-during-great-sport-events/
- AirportLabs just opened a new senior role in our Cluj office - do you know anyone interested?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-09-26-airportlabs-just-opened-a-new-senior-role-in-our-cluj/
- Super stoked when we get feedback like this, congrats to our partner airports and the AirportLabs VisionAir FIDS team!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-09-20-super-stoked-when-we-get-feedback-like-this-congrats-to-our/
- Avem un rol nou deschis în Cluj.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-07-19-avem-un-rol-nou-deschis-in-cluj/
- Congratulations AirportLabs team for a very successful first half of the year!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-07-13-congratulations-airportlabs-team-for-a-very-successful/
- Mulțumesc Andreea Rosca pentru acest interviu, sper că am reușit să adaug valoare pentru publicul tău!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-05-27-multumesc-andreea-rosca-pentru-acest-interviu-sper-ca-am/
- Hey, we can run more than just airport systems!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-05-23-hey-we-can-run-more-than-just-airport-systems/
- It's internship season once again!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-05-03-it-s-internship-season-once-again/
- We have recently completed our profit share round of almost €300.000.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-04-22-we-have-recently-completed-our-profit-share-round-of-almost/
- On International Women's day I'd like to express my gratitude to all the women that I am lucky to surround myself with.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-03-08-on-international-women-s-day-i-d-like-to-express-my/
- Happy to see one of our team's innovations in the space of airport efficiency is gaining traction!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-03-03-happy-to-see-one-of-our-team-s-innovations-in-the-space-of/
- As storm Eunice is making a landfall in Europe we're already seeing a 2x-3x increase in use of the Community App.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-02-18-as-storm-eunice-is-making-a-landfall-in-europe-we-re/
- Hiring for our devops team!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-01-31-hiring-for-our-devops-team/
- So excited to see Alexandra Moca's presentation tonight - you might remember her from our internship videos a few years back.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-01-27-so-excited-to-see-alexandra-moca-s-presentation-tonight-you/
- Sorry network - this is in Romanian and of local relevance only.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-01-19-sorry-network-this-is-in-romanian-and-of-local-relevance/
- Many years ago I was working on the client side (i.e.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-01-05-many-years-ago-i-was-working-on-the-client-side-i-e/
- More than twice a second (on average) but sometimes 50 times per second (during major events)...: https://uiorean.com/posts/2022-01-03-more-than-twice-a-second-on-average-but-sometimes-50-times/
- AirportLabs has barely reached school age and some consultants think it already deserves to hang out with the grandparents of the industry – as a key player 😁: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-12-27-airportlabs-has-barely-reached-school-age-and-some/
- Now you can make sure SANTA1 has everything it needs for visual approach and watch the landing in real time 🦌🦌🦌: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-12-20-now-you-can-make-sure-santa1-has-everything-it-needs-for/
- The Airport Community App was launched in production 6 years ago.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-12-01-the-airport-community-app-was-launched-in-production-6/
- New paid internship starting this September!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-07-30-new-paid-internship-starting-this-september/
- AirportLabs is super excited to see our partner DXB's Terminal 1 lights back on!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-06-24-airportlabs-is-super-excited-to-see-our-partner-dxb-s/
- Cloud airport systems make cutting edge solutions available and affordable even for the smallest of airports while also allowing the largest of airports to stay nimble and get the latest features fast.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-04-23-cloud-airport-systems-make-cutting-edge-solutions-available/
- On International Women's Day, we want to take a moment to celebrate all the women in our lives, whether professional or personal.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-03-08-on-international-women-s-day-we-want-to-take-a-moment-to/
- New roles available in AirportLabs Cluj - Improve the life of billions of passengers worldwide!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2021-01-11-new-roles-available-in-airportlabs-cluj-improve-the-life-of/
- Hey network - wish you were here with us!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2020-12-17-hey-network-wish-you-were-here-with-us/
- DevOps role opening for our Cluj Office - improve the life of billions of passengers !: https://uiorean.com/posts/2020-12-14-devops-role-opening-for-our-cluj-office-improve-the-life-of/
- Looking for a DevOps/SRE for our Cluj office, to work with the best in the industry!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2020-12-03-looking-for-a-devops-sre-for-our-cluj-office-to-work-with/
- A new opportunity at our Cluj office - Frontend Developer to work with the best in the industry!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2020-11-27-a-new-opportunity-at-our-cluj-office-frontend-developer-to/
- Dubai' The Model Centre has produced and impressive study regarding the journey and impact of adopting Community App in Dubai's airports.: https://uiorean.com/posts/2020-03-07-dubai-the-model-centre-has-produced-and-impressive-study/
- Excited to see multiple AirportLabs products featured in DA's CEO report for the third year in a row!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2020-02-05-excited-to-see-multiple-airportlabs-products-featured-in-da/
- Dubai Airports CEO mentions AirportLabs RealTime and Community App in his update on the progress in the first half of 2019!: https://uiorean.com/posts/2019-09-04-dubai-airports-ceo-mentions-airportlabs-realtime-and/
- On the UAE's 43rd anniversary: https://uiorean.com/posts/2014-12-02-on-the-uae-43rd-anniversary/
- Scrutiny and made-up numbers: https://uiorean.com/posts/2012-10-11-scrutiny-and-made-up-numbers/
- Despre educația din România: https://uiorean.com/posts/2012-08-08-despre-educatia-din-romania/
- Vor romanii sa lucreze in strainatate?: https://uiorean.com/posts/2010-04-03-vor-romanii-sa-lucreze-in-strainatate/
- Popular Mechanix, 1922: https://uiorean.com/posts/2009-09-27-popular-mechanix-1922/
- ADAC is hiring Passive Network Specialist: https://uiorean.com/posts/2008-12-30-adac-is-hiring-passive-network-specialist/
- ADAC is hiring Senior Network Architect: https://uiorean.com/posts/2008-12-30-adac-is-hiring-senior-network-architect/
- Hello, World: https://uiorean.com/posts/hello-world/
- Ideas: https://uiorean.com/ideas/
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- CREC (2003): https://uiorean.com/projects/crec-2003/
- SpamTUNNEL (2003): https://uiorean.com/projects/spamtunnel-2003/
- Springfree trampoline S113: https://uiorean.com/projects/springfree-trampoline-s113/
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- For Investors (why I don't answer): https://uiorean.com/about/for-investors/


I recall that over New Year's break 2002-2003 I got interested in spam and statistical
filtering, so I wrote SpamTUNNEL, which I released as freeware. It got way more attention
than I anticipated, getting me contacts from the MIT Media Lab and getting cited in several
papers.

The timing was not an accident. Paul Graham had published
["A Plan for Spam"](https://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html) in August 2002, and the idea that
you could beat spam with simple word-frequency statistics rather than hand-written rules was
suddenly everywhere. I wanted to try it myself, and I wanted it to
work with whatever mail client I happened to be using, without a plugin. So instead of
writing a filter for one program, I wrote a small proxy that would sit between any mail
client and the mail servers and filter everything passing through.

## What it was

SpamTUNNEL was a transparent local mail proxy. You pointed your mail client at `localhost`
instead of your real POP3 and SMTP servers, and SpamTUNNEL relayed each session to the
upstream server while inspecting the mail in transit. Because it worked at the protocol
level, it filtered mail for any client without needing an add-on.

It was a Java 1.1 application with a Swing interface, built in Borland JBuilder and shipped
as a native Windows executable. The launcher was a small Borland C++ stub that found a JVM,
set the class path, and ran the main class, with the compiled `.class` files appended to the
executable as a ZIP archive. It was packaged with Inno Setup. I released it under "Calypso
Soft" (the shipped strings spell it "Calipso"), starting at version 0.1 in January 2003 and
later reaching version 1.01. Because it was Java, it ran on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and
Solaris.

## How it worked

Two independent proxy servers ran at the same time, both built on a shared socket base
class:

- **Inbound (POP3):** filtered and tagged incoming mail as it was retrieved.
- **Outbound (SMTP):** relayed outgoing mail, and doubled as a control channel for training
  and configuration.

One decision I still like: the tool never deleted mail. Its verdict was expressed as an
added header and an optional subject tag, and the final disposition was left to the user's
own client-side rules.

### Inbound filtering

When the mail client connected to the POP3 tunnel on port 110, it was greeted with
`+OK Calipso Soft pop3 tunnel/mailfilter`. The tunnel proxied the `USER` and `PASS`
authentication straight through to the real POP3 server. On a `RETR`, it fetched the message
from upstream, ran it through the classifier, and then injected a verdict header before
handing it to the client:

- `X-SpamTUNNEL: SPAM MAIL` for flagged mail
- `X-SpamTUNNEL: clear mail` for mail that passed

For flagged mail it could also prefix the subject with a marker, `THIS IS SPAM` by default.
Standard POP3 verbs (`STAT`, `LIST`, `UIDL`, `TOP`, `DELE`, `QUIT`, and the rest) were
proxied transparently. Anything it did not recognise got `-ERR Command not understood`.

### The classifier

The core was a Bayesian-style token-frequency filter, the approach Graham had popularised a
few months earlier. It tokenised the message text, split on punctuation and whitespace,
lower-cased everything, and kept only tokens between 3 and 28 characters long, discarding
shorter and longer ones as noise.

It maintained two persistent word-count tables stored as Java `Properties` files: `good.lst`
for ham (legitimate mail) and `bad.lst` for spam. Ham counts were weighted by a multiplier
(1.2 by default) to bias the filter against false positives, because treating a real mail as
spam is more costly than letting a spam through. The message score was compared against a
threshold (20 by default, spelled "treshold" in the code, one of a few spelling quirks I
shipped and never fixed).

Wrapped around the statistical pass was a whitelist and blacklist check. The sender address
and server were parsed from the `From:` header and checked against a list file. A whitelist
match forced a "good" verdict, a blacklist match forced "bad", short-circuiting the
statistics. List entries could be full addresses (`user@example.com`) or whole domains
(`@server.com` matched everything at that domain).

### Training

The filter learned from a labelled corpus. You put known-good messages in one folder and
known-spam in another, and the trainer read every file, tokenised it under the same rules as
the filter, and accumulated the counts into `good.lst` and `bad.lst`. It reported progress
as `Learned from N good mails` and `Learned from N bad mails`.

### The control channel

The part I was most pleased with: you could train and configure the tool from any mail
client, with no separate UI, by sending mail to `spamtunnel@localhost`. The SMTP tunnel
noticed that recipient, refused to deliver it, and instead handed the body to a command
handler that parsed instructions like `good`, `bad`, `whitelist`, and `blacklist`, updating
the learning tables and the list file. So retraining the filter on a misclassified message
was just a matter of forwarding it to a local address.

### Configuration

Everything lived in plain text files. `servers.ini` held the network settings: the upstream
SMTP host and port, the local POP3 listen port, an optional path to a mail client to launch
on startup, and a flag to exit when that client closed. `spamtunnel.ini` held the filter
behaviour: token length limits, the ham weighting multiplier, the spam threshold, the
subject marker text, and the persistence interval. The word tables and the address list were
the three `.lst` files.

## Limitations

It was very much a tool of its moment, and it had real limits:

- Because it classified mail only after fetching it from the POP3 server, it did not save
  download bandwidth. The filtering was purely local. Contemporary users pointed this out.
- It spoke only classic unencrypted POP3 and SMTP on ports 110 and 25. It predates the
  general move to TLS and has no SSL handling at all.
- Period-typical desktop Java: 1.1 bytecode, Swing, JBuilder.

There are also small fingerprints of me all over it. The protocol strings switch into
Romanian at the friendly moments: it says `La revedere !!!` ("goodbye") on `QUIT`. And a
handful of misspellings ("treshold", "congif", "noboby") are preserved in the shipped
strings.

## References

The technique it was built on:

- Paul Graham, ["A Plan for Spam"](https://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html) (August 2002).

Academic mentions:

- M. Franciosi, BSc thesis, University of Pavia (netlab), which lists SpamTunnel among free
  POP3-proxy spam filters, notes it had reached version 1.01, and points out that its
  flexibility came at the cost of ease of use:
  [MFranciosi_Thesis.pdf](https://netlab-mn.unipv.it/thesis/BSc/MFranciosi_Thesis.pdf)
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, which lists SpamTunnel (in Java) alongside SpamBayes,
  POPFile and PASP as local POP3 proxies for spam filtering:
  [oa.upm.es](https://oa.upm.es/323/1/09200430.pdf)
- Florin B. Manolache (Carnegie Mellon University), "Filtering Techniques," a November 2003
  seminar that lists SpamTUNNEL among the Bayesian filtering and training tools alongside
  bogofilter, SpamBayes, POPFile and PASP:
  [math.cmu.edu](https://www.math.cmu.edu/users/florin/seminars/nov03/Filters.html)

Contemporary forum discussion:

- HilfDirSelbst.ch anti-spam forum (German), thread "SpamStopper 1.4 from Railhead &
  SpamTUNNEL 0.1 from Calypso":
  [hilfdirselbst.ch](https://www.hilfdirselbst.ch/foren/SpamStopper_1_4_from_Railhead_&_SpamTUNNEL_0_1_from_Calypso_P22561.html)
- onliner.by forum (Russian), thread "спам-фильтр для The Bat" (21 January 2003), describing
  SpamTUNNEL as "a personal freeware POP3 proxy with built-in spam filtering":
  [forum.onliner.by](https://forum.onliner.by/viewtopic.php?t=60626)

The original distribution lived at `http://uiorean.cluj.astral.ro/`, now only reachable
through the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.