human-nets@ucbvax.ARPA (06/18/85)
From: Charles McGrew (The Moderator) <Human-Nets-Request@Rutgers> HUMAN-NETS Digest Monday, 17 Jun 1985 Volume 8 : Issue 19 Today's Topics: Computers and People - Re: Mail System Specs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 30-May-85 06:32 PDT From: David Potter - McDonnell Douglas/AUGMENT Div. From: <DAP.TYM@OFFICE-2> Subject: Mail System Specs To: nsb@cmu-cs-zog.arpa Comment: Re your recent "LONG Communications wish list," this is a generalized specification for an electronic mail system which we developed for internal use. Not Company Confidential, though, and I thought both you and the Net might find it of interest. Also, please feel free to forward my previous reply to Human-Nets -- I neglected to do so myself. -- David GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A COMPLETE ELECTRONIC MESSAGE SYSTEM An Electronic Message System should: * accept input from a wide range of terminals * be easy to use, easy to learn, with logical and consistent commands * handle short memos to very large documents equally well * distribute and receive messages within its host computer, between other such hosts, across networks, and between other message systems * optionally, be integrated in a consistent manner with capabilities provided by a comprehensive office information system * provide features that aid the organization, archiving, and retrieval of messages to support personal and organizational needs * provide privacy and secure, long term storage of messages * provide online help in addition to online and hardcopy documentation * operate on reliable, cost effective hardware and be connected to one or more nationwide/worldwide computer networks * be able to handle millions of messages and many thousands of users and user addresses as needed SPECIFIC FEATURES OF A COMPLETE ELECTRONIC MESSAGE SYSTEM Terminal The message system must be easily usable by users with printing terminals as well as those with display terminals. Full duplex ASCII terminals must be supported. User Interface Basic functions should be prompt-driven. Additional functions should be English command-driven, with menu command selections optional. Composing or Drafting Messages Users should be prompted for required fields, such as: To: Cc: Subject: Message: Send?: Command mode should be available for designating optional fields, such as: Access Limited To: Acknowledgement of System Delivery Requested: Acknowledgement of User Receipt Requested: Action (specified): Addendum To: Author: Blind Cc: Comment: Delivery Timing Specifications: Rush: (immediate) Soon: (hour or less) Defer: (Overnight) Start Delivery (at date/time): Stop Delivery (at date/time if not yet delivered): Extend Access To: File Copy: From: In reply To: Keywords: Part of: References: Reply To: Route (in succession) To: Pass (to next recipient): Subcollections: Submit To Library: Editing Capabilities Editing During Entry: The following functions should be available during user text entry: Backspace character, word, text, paragraph. Retype line, paragraph Current position indication Continuous entry mode Extended Editing Capabilities: The following functions should be available for additional editing operations: Insert, Delete, Replace, Move, Copy, Transpose, Append, Break, Sort, as appropriate, on entities such as: Character, Word, Text, Visible Text Strings, Invisible Text Strings, Paragraph, Groups of Paragraphs, Section, File, and Message Ideally, the text editor would facilitate the structuring of information in hierarchical form, with commands provided for the viewing of selected portions of messages (long messages may be considered to be documents) according to their structure. Accepting Prepared Input From Stand-alone Terminals Users must be able to easily transfer pre-typed, formatted text from stand-alone terminals to the message system. Message Files One primary file should be designated for receipt of messages. In addition, other user-designated files should be available for placement of messages as part of the users' message management operations. Message Formats Message formats must be consistent with required MILNET message format protocols. This includes, at a minimum, adherence to MILNET-specified required fields and addressing protocols. Message Identifiers Message identifiers must be unique for each message. Within the identifier scheme, the number of such identifiers must be expandable to at least 1 million unique messages. Message Headers Message headers should contain at least the unique message identifier, the date the message was transmitted by the sender, and the text of the subject of the message. Message Fields -- Required and Optional Required message fields should be kept to a minimum to facilitate use for simple transmissions and use by relatively un-trained users. In addition, there should be a wide range of optional fields available to facilitate use of the message system for personal and organizational information management. Message Body The user should be able to place up to 300 disk pages of information in the message body field. The user should be able to format the message text in any manner desired, using the editing commands available in the message system or commands accessible in a more comprehensive system with which the message system may be integrated. The full text of the message should be delivered to all recipients except where limited distribution is specified by the sender. In those cases, the full text of the specified message should be available as recorded messages in the library. In such cases, only header information and other necessary fields, such as the location of the library copy of the full text, would be sent to the addressees. Message Categories User-named message categories should be able to be created by commands so that users may store messages in ways that meet their own particular needs for later retrieval and review. Message Drafts The message system should enable users to prepare drafts of messages that may be sent at a later time. These drafts of messages should be stored for future use and should be easily accessed, further edited if necessary, and sent in the normal manner. Users should be able to add or delete optional fields, edit existing text, or enter new text at any stage of the message preparation process after supplying the text for required fields. Pre-specified Message Forms The message system should provide the capability for users to prepare message forms in advance for later input to the message system. Any or all of the optional message fields should be part of such message forms and should be selectable and ordered at the user's option. Upon each user submission of a message form to the message system, the system should prompt for any fields that contain no pre-entered data and should complete the message sending process in the normal manner. Blank Entries In Fields The message system should accept blank entries in all fields other than the required fields that must contain entries. Fields omitted from the message should be considered to have been designated as blank by the sender. Message Privacy Each message should by default be private to and viewable only by the sender, the recipients of the message, and others designated by the sender. Signatures The system should facilitate the verifiable placement of "signatures" on messages and documents where appropriate. Spelling Correction The message system should provide the capability for users to check and correct the spelling of text in messages. This should be available in both interactive and "batch" modes and accessible within the message system or optionally accessible within the overall office information system if such exists. Identification System The message system should have an extensive Identification system where all relevant information about each user and his/her address is stored. This information should be accessible to the message system for verification and distribution purposes and to users to support the addressing process. Looking Up User Identifications/Addresses Users should be able to locate and view specific user information on the basis of: individual identification codes, last name, and Soundex text. Distribution Lists Users should be able to prepare their own distribution lists and submit them to the message system for use in message distribution. In addition, the identification system should provide the capability for users to designate "official" list names and associated user identifications as distribution lists. Verifying Distribution Lists The message system should verify all addresses in distribution lists (for the message system) and inform the sender of any non-valid addresses specified and the fact that those particular messages were not delivered. File Copies The message system should enable users to specify a file or files where copies of selected messages will be placed by the message system for file purposes. Message Distribution System The message system should provide a process that is continually available for the distribution of messages to their proper destination including messages addressed intra-host, cross-host, or inter-network. The distribution system should be capable of making repeated attempts to forward messages and when delivery is not possible, should notify the sender of the non-delivery. The message system should be able to re-format certain messages so as to adapt to the required formats of other approved message systems. Passing Messages Along the Approval Chain The message system should support the organizational approval process (where needed) by providing the capability for the sender to specify the succession of approving recipients. The system should facilitate subsequent approvals and the further distribution of messages along the route. The system should also permit parallel information copies of messages. Permanent Recording of Messages -- a Library The message system should provide the capability for users to send messages and longer documents to a library for permanent recording and later retrieval. User Profiles The message system should provide users with the option of setting available options relative to their particular terminal and customary use of the message system to be the default mode for their own use. These options should be changeable by users as desired. Receiving Messages Users should be notified that they have new, un-read messages upon login to the system and whenever they specifically request such information by issuing the appropriate command. Message/Header Selection Each message in each message category should be assigned, in addition to its permanent unique identifier, a temporary message number that can be easily used to select messages for reading, printing, and message management operations. Such numbers would preferably be from 1 to n in each category, depending on the order and number of messages in the category at any point in time. Users should be able to print or display only the message headers in selected message categories. Reading Messages New message headers should be presented to the user upon entry into the message system. The user should be able to select and read messages easily whenever desired. Single messages, groups of messages, or all messages in a message category should be selectable by command. Users with display terminals should be able to view one screen at a time if desired, continuing to view subsequent screens when ready. Accessing Recorded Messages Users should be able to easily locate and read messages that have been recorded in the library, after receiving notification of such messages through the normal message distribution process. Recorded messages should be viewed or copied only, but should not be able to be changed by users. Answering Messages Users should be able to answer messages by command selection of such messages and be prompted for required fields where needed identifier and addressing information is not already known to the system. The entire set of optional fields should be available for use in such replies even if not used in the original message. Users should be able to specify distribution of the answering message as being the same as the distribution of the original message, just to the sender, or to any additional addressees. Forwarding Messages Users should be able to forward messages by command selection of such messages and be prompted for required fields where needed identifier and addressing information is not already known to the system. Users should be prompted for any comments they wish to append to the forwarded message. Users should be able to specify distribution of forwarded messages to any desired addressees. Identifying Foreign-system Messages Messages received from other message systems should be assigned unique message identifiers consistent with the identifier scheme of the message system. In addition, any foreign-system message identifying information should be retained for possible use in answering and forwarding operations. Answering/Forwarding Foreign-system Messages Users should be able to answer or forward messages received from foreign message systems in the same manner that they would perform such operations on messages originating within their own message system. Such answered or forwarded messages should be distributed to selected addressees within any recognized message system, including the systems from which they originated. Printing Messages and Optional Formatting Users should be able to print single messages, groups of messages, or entire message categories on a variety of printing terminals. Messages should be formatted exactly as received or, optionally, in special user-designated formats under the control of integrated print formatting functions that may be available to the users. Message Management Users should be able to delete or move single messages, groups of messages, or entire message categories as they wish. Users should be able to undelete messages if desired unless the they have requested that the system (by command or profile setting) permanently remove them from the file. Searching for Messages Users should be able to view or print a list of category names, message headers in any category, or view or print headers or the full text messages on the basis of text strings contained in the To, Cc, From, or Subject fields. User should be able to specify single messages or groups of messages. File and Directory Management The message system must provide the user with the ability to list information about any or all files in his or her directory, viewing such file information as the times and dates of: file creation, last write, and last read, as well as file protection status and file size. Such information about other users' files shall also be available, subject to file protection features. Library Functions Users should be able to place selected messages in a central library for permanent storage with access restrictions specified by the user placing such items in the library. Each message or document entered into the library should be protected from future changes and all relevant reference information should be entered into a user-accessible catalog. Future reading of such catalogs should take into account specific file privacy protection settings on a message by message and user by user basis. Library documents should have a common default print format for uniformity in printing. Users should be able to enter additional printing format specifications as they wish prior to submission to the library. The full text of all messages and documents must be contained in the version submitted to the library. However, at the sender's option, only relevant reference information may be delivered to people listed in the addressee fields. The library should be open-ended, providing for both online disk and offline long term archival tape storage. It should be possible for various sub-units of an organization to create separate and private libraries and their corresponding catalogs as required. Searching for a Document Using the Library Catalog Users should be able to locate documents or messages filed in the library without knowing precisely where they are filed. Users should be able to search through the library catalog(s) on the basis of several different criteria or Boolean combinations thereof: Message subject "From" Field "To" field Keywords (sender-assigned) Date (or range of dates) Other message header fields This catalog-searching capability, which should be accessible to the user via a simple keyboard command, should search through the catalog and find citation that match the user's search criteria. Users should be able to further specify whether the search is case dependent or independent. They should also be able to specify that the specified text be searched for anywhere in a field or as the first word or words in a field Boolean connectors should also be available -- e.g., use of the words "and" and "or" to combine searches, and the word "not" to negate searches. Examples of Searches: Subject "Standards and Procedures" AND From "RBJ.NYSNET" This search would match all citations with the exact text "Standards and Procedures" as the first words in the Subject field and with the uppercase text "RBJ.NYSNET" as the first word in the From field. From "ELT.NYSNET" OR From "ADAMS@MIT-MC" AND Subject ~ ["proposal"] This search would match all citations with the uppercase text "ELT.NYSNET" or uppercase text "ADAMS@MIT-MC" as the first words in the From field that also contain the text "proposal" somewhere in the Subject field. From "SRK.NYSNET" AND Subject ~ ["library Searching"] AND Posted Between July 21, 1983 July 30, 1983. This search would match all citations with the uppercase text "SRK.NYSNET" as the first word in the From field that also contain the text "library searching" in the Subject field, and that were posted between July 21, 1983 and July 30, 1983. Integration and Consistency with Other Office Information System Capabilities It is preferable that the message system be integrated into a larger-scale office information system. If so, message system commands must be consistent in presentation, wording, and action with other commands in the system. Any appropriate command in the overall system should be available for use at any point in message system operation. Any information in any file accessible by the sender should be available for incorporation into message fields. Online Questionmark and Help Features Users should be able to see a listing of all commands immediately available for use at the next stage of their command specification, preferably by typing a question mark. Display terminal users should be able to indicate their next command by cursor selection directly from such lists. Online "Help" files should be available and easily accessible at each stage of every message system command. This information should define the user's command state and offer references to relevant information needed to help determine the next appropriate command. Users should be able to proceed as far down the command chain as needed. The user's command state should remain as it was before requesting Help, so the user can continue to specify commands from that point. Hardcopy User Documentation for Beginners and Advanced Users Documentation in hardcopy must be available in various forms to assist both beginning and more experienced users to use the message system. Such documentation must be consistent in style and content with online documentation, including the Help information, and should be presented in an logical order and format that facilitates both comprehensive learning and specific information lookup. ------------------------------ End of HUMAN-NETS Digest ************************