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From: paul@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu (Paul Pomes - UofIllinois CSO)
Subject: Possible bug with 4.3 BSD-reno /usr/bin/mail program
Message-ID: <1991Apr29.133937.29612@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Sender: usenet@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (News)
Reply-To: Paul-Pomes@uiuc.edu
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1991 13:39:37 GMT
Lines: 19

A email gateway to the PLATO sites on the Novanet network is being 
established at UIUC.  Addresses within Novanet are specified as
user/group[/host] where /host is required for non-local addresses.

With 4.3 BSD-tahoe and younger /usr/ucb/Mail programs, this address
is no problem.  The difficulty is with the 4.3 BSD-reno /usr/bin/mail
program.  It is interpreting the '/' character as a filename delimiter
and is trying to do local delivery immediately to the non-existent
file instead of invoking sendmail.  

Is this reasonable behavior in a MUA?  It's certainly a radically different
behavior than older versions of the same program.  Does it qualify as a bug?

/pbp
--
         Paul Pomes

UUCP: {att,iuvax,uunet}!uiucuxc!paul   Internet, BITNET: paul@uxc.cso.uiuc.edu
US Mail:  UofIllinois, CSO, 1304 W Springfield Ave, Urbana, IL  61801-2910