dbw@mtunk.ATT.COM (d.b.wood) (02/18/88)
The following is a mailbox file that makes a problem for elm 1.7b
(courtesy of killer.uucp) compiled on a VAX SVR2. Elm (and also from,
for that matter) misses the second message header completely, and
includes it as part of the first message.
It does it with ":" added to the "From" line, etc.
The only thing that makes it work is adding the "Tue Feb 16 09:45:51 1988"
stuff to the end of the line.
Now if I use only elm, this shouldn't be a problem, but I have to use
some other mailers as well, and they save copies in the second format,
without the date on the From line.
As far as I can tell, RFC822 doesn't require the date stuff on the
From line. Have I missed something?
Another problem: when compiled to have the builtin pager NOT display
context, one of the last lines of messages is often overwritten by the
"hit <return> to return to elm" line.
Suggestions?
Dave Wood sn!d.wood
P.S. I prefer elm to all the other mailers I've seen so far.
mailfile that confuses elm and from:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From To:f.ubar Tue Feb 16 09:45:51 1988
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 88 9:45:51 EST
To: f.ubar
Subject: Bazzazz
Bzzzzzz...
Dave
From dbw
>From: d.b.wood
To: s.omeone
Date: 16 Feb 1988 14:08 EST
Subject: AIM versions
Nothing.
Davetaylor@hplabs.HP.COM (Dave Taylor) (02/19/88)
D.B.Wood lists a mailbox file that the Elm system is unable to distinguish
as two messages;
From To:f.ubar Tue Feb 16 09:45:51 1988
Subject: Bazzazz
Bzzzzzz...
--> From dbw
>From: d.b.wood
Subject: AIM versions
Nothing.
The key here is that the current Unix mail systems are defined to look
for lines that begin with the explicit string "From ". Elm takes a bit
more elegant approach, however, and actually verifies that it's a From-space
line (as it is called) by counting the number of words, and verifying that
the last or second-to-last word has a colon in it (e.g. a time value). I
do this because I wanted to avoid what is a not uncommon problem with
other mail systems -- false hits in mailboxes.
A fine way to generate one of those is to send a message that has a line
From that starts like this one -- with a "From " on it. Many mail systems
along the way will report this section as part of a second message, but
Elm realizes it isn't.
(of course, it's this same problem that causes sendmail to prefix the
annoying '>' to any line that starts with "From " -- but Elm doesn't need
it to be there).
Anyway what you need to do is to have your message separator From-space
lines include the date and time information additionally.
-- Dave Taylor
ps: you are indeed correct that the From-space line isn't part of Dave
Crockers' RFC-822 specification, but we must live with it regardless
because there *is no* specified message separator, alas...just the
de facto one of "From ".