Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!ucrmath!alchemy!bbs
From: bbs@alchemy.UUCP (BBS Administration)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Mail Front-end Questions
Message-ID: <252@alchemy.UUCP>
Date: 19 Dec 90 02:58:56 GMT
Reply-To: bbs@alchemy.UUCP (BBS Administration)
Organization: Alchemy Software Designs
Lines: 54

Hello all!

I've got several questions and I'm not sure where to start, so I guess I'll
just dive in to this...

1) Does anyone know where I might obtain a copy of the document RFC822? I've
always wanted to read it and find out what constitutes a "legal" mail
header. This has a lot to do with my next question(s). If there is an FTP
site that has this document and perhaps a library of others, please post
the address so I (and anyone else who might be curious) can consult this
archive when needed.

2) I'm writing my own email front-end for a BBS I'm working on. I've tried to
make it easy to use and it offers some nifty features as well. The problem
is the method in which I deliver mail. I'm currently running smail v2.5
and deliver. When the user sends a letter, I open a pipe to smail and
send a copy of the letter to each recipient designated. This does work,
but if sending to a large number of users, the time waiting can be
bothersome as each copy to each user requires that a pipe be opened to
the mail delivery agent (in this case, smail).

I was hoping I could insert into the body of the letter a "Cc:" line that
contained a list of users to recieve a copy of the letter, but when I
pipe a file with this information to smail (or the standard mail program
which comes with SCO Xenix [v2.3.2GT in case that matters]) it is not
"observed" as I'd like. Right now, I open a pipe as follows:

fp = popen ("exec /bin/smail %s", username);

And then use fprintf () to insert a "From:", "To:", "Date:", "Subject:"
and "Cc:" line (if appropriate) and then read from the file containing
the text portion of the letter and close.

I would rather open a pipe to smail with one addressee, but then insert
a single "Cc:" line and have the mail program recognize this and send
a carbon (or blind carbon) to each user specified.

Am I going about this all wrong? Should I open the pipe to smail with
a list of all recipients? Should I get a copy of ELM or MUSH or
something and see how they do it (I got a copy of something called nmail
but it doesn't even let you specify carbons [at least I don't think so]).
Or maybe I should just keep things the way they are and fork these into
the background or something?

Any pointers as to how this can be efficiently accomplished are greatly
appreciated. Thanks!

-- John

John Donahue, Senior Partner | UUCP: ucrmath!alchemy!{bbs, gumby}  | The Future
  Alchemy Software Designs   | INET: {bbs, gumby}@alchemy.UUCP     | Begins Now
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