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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!cmcl2!phri!orville!dvm!frank
From: frank@dvm.UUCP (Frank Wortner)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: GNU 17.64 rmail on Pyramid - (nf)
Message-ID: <106@dvm.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Nov-86 12:04:12 EST
Article-I.D.: dvm.106
Posted: Tue Nov 11 12:04:12 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Nov-86 10:08:46 EST
References: <33400004@pbinfo.UUCP>
Reply-To: frank@dvm.UUCP (Frank Wortner)
Organization: Philon, Inc. (NY, NY)
Lines: 33

In article <33400004@pbinfo.UUCP> michael@pbinfo.UUCP writes:
>
>
>	Can anybody explain me, why GNU Emacs (17.64)
>	cannot read in my 'rmail-inbox-list' on a Pyramid?
>	
>	I am in the 'ucb'-universe and the value of this
>	variable is set to the (I think) correct values
>	("~/mbox" "/usr/spool/mail/$USER").
>	
>		Michael

I had this same problem my VAX (Ultrix 1.0 = 4.2BSD).  The problem seems
to revolve around the fact that emacs needs to make a copy of and then
delete the files in the rmail-inbox-list.  It does this by means of a 
program called movemail which resides in emacs's etc directory.  The
mail directory (/usr/spool/mail) is often owned by root and only writable
by root.  (Mail programs run setuid.)  When movemail tries to move the
 mailbox from that directory,it finds that it can't because it does not have write permission. 

 The cure is either to make the directory /usr/spool/mail mode 0777 (drwxrwxrwx)
or to make movemail a setuid program owned by root.  (BTW, you might want
to look at source first and patch it to prevent unauthorized stealing of
mail.)

If neither of these cures is acceptable, then the only thing you can do is
read your mail using Unix's mail command, save the messages in "mbox"
and then use emacs to re-read your mail.  It will probably work, but it's
hardly worth it.

-- 
				Frank
				...!inhp4!allegra!phri!orville!dvm!frank