mo%lbl-csam@sri-unix.UUCP (06/07/83)
The latest version of UCB Mail has a folder syntax taken straight from MH, which makes it MUCH more useful. It also has some primitive header-filtering features, but for my money, and I also process LOTS of mail, I could not do without MH. Sounds like Mike's version of MSG is a pretty spiffy version, but I simply cannot tolerate the Tenex-inspired leaps-out-from-under-your- fingertips interface. This is a purely religious issue. I also find quite useful the notion that mail can be processed from whereever I happen to be in the filesystem when something important arrives. Granted, storing each message in one file is a trifle wasteful of inodes, but disk storage is cheap and this is a research machine (for machines with students, the folder stuff of UCB Mail is almost as good with only one inode per folder). MH uses the filesystem to store messages with directories implementing folders. This allows messages to be linked into more than one folder for cross-filing purposes, and recursive folders. As was mentioned, MH knows about your message filecabinet no matter what your current directory. Moreover, MH doesn't have a separate command processor!!! This is WONDERFUL. I don't have to get into a funny program to read mail, clean up my mess, and get back out. I can "inc" new mail into my inbox any time I want, read or simply scan a few messages, refile them, etc, without breaking stride doing something else. The notion that a mail system doesn't need a special command processor (the shell is a perfectly good command language, thank you.) is is greatest contribution, outside of folders. You can also process messages with normal Unix text manipulation commands for the odd job, without cracking some funny message format. Anyway, as you can see, I am a real MH fan. There is a screen-oriented interface called HM which Jim Guyton at Rand developed, and John Foderaro at UCB has created a version of Rmail for Goslings Emacs which uses MH as the storage subsystem. So, you can have screen hacks too. For the person who processes LOTS of mail on LOTS of different subjects, MH is a godsend. There may be better systems, and there may be systems any one person might like better, but moving from UCB Mail to MH was an improvement of the same order of magnitude as moving from ed to vi. Finally, I believe that MH will be included in the 4.2 system when it is released, but someone from Rand should comment on this. -Mike