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From: daemon@ucbvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: fa.info-vax
Subject: Gripes about the VMS MAIL command
Message-ID: <833@ucbvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Sep-83 07:13:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.833
Posted: Thu Sep 15 07:13:39 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Sep-83 02:08:44 EDT
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Organization: U. C. Berkeley Computer Science
Lines: 47

>From GEOFF5@SRI-CSL  Thu Sep 15 04:13:26 1983
I have mixed feelings about the VMS MAIL command, and I would like
to see if we can put together a consensus of opinions about it.

Basically, I think the VMS MAIL subsystem is pretty decent, and if
I had never used any other mail system, I think I would be pretty 
happy with it. As it is, however, I daily use a Unix system and
a VMS system, and I do a lot of comparisons.

The following suggestions are based on comparisons with the 
'msg' mail reader which we got from BBN, and which I think developed
from a TENEX program long ago.

I would like to see the following features implemented in VMS MAIL:

  1.	A 'cc:' list to supplement to 'to:' list.
	This feature makes it easier to interface to administrative
	procedures.
  2.	The option to always get a 'cc:' of your outgoing mail to
	your own mailbox.
  3.	Retaining message numbers through a whole session; i.e.
	after you delete message number 1, the message after it
	should still be number 2, not number one.
	implemented).
  4.	Allowing message numbers in commands.
	It ought to be possible to clean up your mailbox by doing a 
	DIR and then issue one or more delete commands:
		MAIL>DIR
		....
		MAIL>DEL 1,2,4,6-9
		MAIL>
	As it is, you have to issue a READ command for each message
	and then do a DEL while you have that message on the screen.

  5.	A documented interface that will allow you to hook the
	standard mailer to a non-decnet delivery system. (such as
	TCP/IP or TELENET TELEMAIL).

I am sure that we can expand this wish list and then find a way to
make these ideas known to the development group, either in DECUS
sessions or by submitting a number of "suggestion" SPRs.

	Med venlig hilsen
	Lars Poulsen <Lars@ACC>