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From: VORBRUEG@DBNPIB5.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: MAIL idiosyncrasy with sequential files
Message-ID: <8708200738.AA07145@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Thu, 20-Aug-87 03:38:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8708200738.AA07145
Posted: Thu Aug 20 03:38:43 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Aug-87 09:28:49 EDT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Distribution: world
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 18

I just discovered that MAIL still supports the old sequential files
from version 3 of VMS. This gives you the possibility to nicely include
any text in you mail file; I just used this to 'digest' some old
digest files from info-vax, clear out all that header rubbish, etc.
That's the feature, and a good and very necessary one.

Now, MAIL has some very strict rules as to what it will accept in this
format: It will only parse the header (To:, From:, and Subj: fields)
if they are precisely in that form (followed by a <TAB>), and preceeded
by a form feed. OK, why not...but it forgets to put in a form feed at
the beginning of a file if you extract your mail. And that's a nuisance!

I admit it's only a very small bug, but it had me baffled for some
time...I just didn't expect that sort of inconsistent behaviour...there,
how you can get spoiled! :-)


   Jan Vorbrueggen