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From: ziegast@ENG.UMD.EDU (Eric Ziegast)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.mh
Subject: Re: xmh support for nested folders?
Message-ID: <9104202156.AA01959@klingoff.eng.umd.edu>
Date: 20 Apr 91 21:56:07 GMT
References: <1991Apr19.183815.27525@cs.nott.ac.uk>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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David Osborne writes:
>qq11@uxb.liverpool.ac.UK (Alan Thew) writes:
>>I know Xmh is now the "thing" but this would give elm a good "run for
>>it's money" since MH is always there and I can use the un*x interface
>>or X as well.
>
>I find I still need to use a terminal interface, despite using xmh
>regularly, because my xmh doesn't support hierarchical mail folders,
>and I often need to refile messages into such folders.
>
>Maybe a later version of xmh supports nested folders?  Mine says it's
>Athena version 2.3.1 (supplied in Mips RiscOS 4.51).

I use xmh only occasionally when I want to go through lots of mail in
a folder quickly.  Though on a daily basis, I find the command line to
be more practicle.  Several reasons:

1. XMH has lots of overhead.
   If I want to read one message or just several recent messages, all I
   have to do is something like:

	scan +staff last:10
	show last:2

   If I started XMH, I'd have to wait for it to rescan through all of my
   folders before I can do anything.

2. The editor is more intelligent.
   The Athena text widget is not an ideal text editor.  Using VI or Emacs
   for an "Editor:" is much better.

3. XMH doesn't handle any of the .mh_profile aliased commands.
   I frequently use "dcomp" (linked to comp) to use another components
   file for a mailing list.  There is no dcomp button, nor do I know a
   way to make one.  In my .mh_profile dcomp is:

	dcomp: -form dcomponents

   In fact, unless you get that modified version that someone talked
   about, you can't use anything but the standard MH commands.

4. You can't use filters or other neat commands with your MH commands.
   I find I much easier to use

	scan +staff | fgrep JoeUser

   than scrolling through a long list of messages or fumbling with the
   "Sequence" menu.

For beginners, xmh is great.  But the expert-friendly CLI commands become
even more friendly after you use them alot.  It's the same reason some
people prefer vi over xedit.  You can do more, and if you're good at it,
you can do it faster too.

Just my 5 cents. (inflation :-)
________________________________________________________________________
Eric W. Ziegast, University of Merryland, Engineering Computing Services
ziegast@eng.umd.edu - Eric@(301.405.3689)