[comp.mail.elm] phone message screen

hack@swbatl.UUCP (2771) (09/14/89)

A few moons ago there was a program by Dave Taylor that was
included with Elm (or Msg) that allowed users to pop up
a quick message screen to take incoming phone call messages
and mail them out via Elm.

Does anyone recall what it was called and what versions it was in?
--
Greg Hackney
uunet!swbatl!hack

syd@DSI.COM (Syd Weinstein) (09/14/89)

hack@swbatl.UUCP (2771) writes:
:A few moons ago there was a program by Dave Taylor that was
:included with Elm (or Msg) that allowed users to pop up
:a quick message screen to take incoming phone call messages
:and mail them out via Elm.
:Does anyone recall what it was called and what versions it was in?
Its still there, its fastmail.
-- 
=====================================================================
Sydney S. Weinstein, CDP, CCP                   Elm Coordinator
Datacomp Systems, Inc.				Voice: (215) 947-9900
syd@DSI.COM or {bpa,vu-vlsi}!dsinc!syd	        FAX:   (215) 938-0235

rob@PacBell.COM (Rob Bernardo) (09/14/89)

In article <778@swbatl.UUCP> hack@swbatl.UUCP (2771) writes:
+A few moons ago there was a program by Dave Taylor that was
+included with Elm (or Msg) that allowed users to pop up
+a quick message screen to take incoming phone call messages
+and mail them out via Elm.
+
+Does anyone recall what it was called and what versions it was in?

Answer, and it's still part of ELM.
-- 
Rob Bernardo      ...![backbone]!pacbell!pbhyf!rob -or- rob@pbhyf.PacBell.COM
  Product engineer, UNIX/C Reusable Code Library        Editor, "Go `C' UNIX"
  Office: (415) 823-2417                Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, California
  Residence: (415) 827-4301                     R BAR JB, Concord, California

indra@hobbes.amd.com (Indra Singhal) (09/15/89)

In article <778@swbatl.UUCP> hack@swbatl.UUCP (2771) writes:
|A few moons ago there was a program by Dave Taylor that was
|included with Elm (or Msg) that allowed users to pop up
|a quick message screen to take incoming phone call messages
|and mail them out via Elm.
|Does anyone recall what it was called and what versions it was in?

The program is still part of the elm distribution and is called 'answer'.
Typically, our secretary keeps 'answer' running all the time and as and when
phonecalls come in, she goes ahead and types the message to the receipient.

iNDRA | indra@amdcad.AMD.COM                 (408) 749-5445
      | {ames decwrl gatech pyramid sun uunet}!amdcad!indra
      | MS 167; Box 3453; Sunnyvale, CA 94088

taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor) (09/16/89)

As others have pointed out, the program you're seeking, Greg, is
called "answer" and is still, I believe, a part of the net Elm 
distribution.  The man page (old, perhaps) is attached...

						-- Dave Taylor
Intuitive Systems
Mountain View, California

taylor@limbo.intuitive.com    or    taylor%limbo.uucp@decwrl.dec.com
	     {uunet!} { decwrl, apple } !limbo!taylor


-- Attachment: "answer" man page

     ANSWER(1L)                                     ANSWER(1L)

     NAME
          answer - phone message transcription system

     SYNOPSIS
          answer

     HP-UX COMPATIBILITY
          Level:    HP-UX/CONTRIBUTED

          Origin:   Hewlett-Packard

     DESCRIPTION
          Answer is a part of the Elm mail system and is designed  for
          secretaries  and  the  like  to  allow them to answer phones
          and|or listen to phone  message  machines  and  quickly  and
          easily transcribe the messages into electronic mail.

          The program uses it's own alias set (usually a subset of the
          system  aliases,  with more fields per user (ie unique first
          names, unique last names,  first-initial  lastname,  and  so
          on)).   Note  this  means  that  you  must  create  and then
          install, using newalias, a  separate  alias  table  for  the
          account this program is to be run from.

          Interface-wise, the program  is  a  breeze  to  use  -  type
          'answer'  to start it up and then merely type a user name at
          the

               Message to:

          prompt, and then enter the  message,  ending  with  a  blank
          line.   Names can be entered as 'Firstname Lastname' and the
          system will try to find a mail  alias  based  on  the  first
          letter  of  the first name plus the last name.  For example,
          'Dave Taylor' will cause the program to search for an  alias
          'd_taylor'  in the file (note the transliteration into lower
          case).   The program will loop until killed or quit.

          Answer can be easily exited by typing any of 'quit',  'exit'
          'done', or 'bye' at the 'Message to:' prompt.

     AUTHOR
          Dave Taylor, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

     SEE ALSO
          The Elm Alias System Users Guide , by Dave Taylor

          newalias(1L), checkalias(1L), mail(1),  mailx(1),  from(1L),
          printmail(1L)

     FILES
          $home/.alias_hash             individual alias hash table
          $home/.alias_data             individual alias data table
          /tmp/snd.$$                   edit buffer for outgoing mail

     Hewlett-Packard Company       - 1 -                  Sep 15, 1989