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From: dennie@venus.ucsc.edu (Dennie Van Tassel - Computer Center,31C,2434)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.misc
Subject: UNIX mail esoteria, features, bugs.
Message-ID: <2079@saturn.ucsc.edu>
Date: 24 Feb 88 03:24:05 GMT
Sender: usenet@saturn.ucsc.edu
Reply-To: dennie@venus.ucsc.edu (Dennie Van Tassel - Computer Center)
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz; CIS/CE
Lines: 45


UNIX mail esoteria, features, bugs:
I am looking for UNIX mail esoteric/bugs. Here are a few I
know about.

Esoteric observations:
1.  Instead of terminating your mail message with a control/d,
    you can use a period at the beginning of the line,
    just like in the line editor.
2.  The $ command works in several interesting places.
    For example, $ at the mail reading prompt will get
    you the last mail message, and "h $" will get you
    the last set of messages in your mail box.
Features?
3.  Lines that start with a From have a > put in front of
    them so they look like
    >From
Bugs:
4.  If you accidently type d'
    it will delete all your mail.
    But if you avoid the panic and use "x" to exit
    instead of quit, your mail is still there.
5.  The undo command does not work quite correctly.
    For example, if you delete message 14, then delete
    message 12, the undo will get you back message 14
    instead of message 12.
6.  Wildcards do not always work correctly when reading
    a file with the ~r command.

7. Mail bug about losing mail while reading it.
It was, approximately, that if you are currently reading some mail and
finish and some more mail comes in just as you are quitting then the
new mail may be lost.  The only protection is to run with biff y so you
get notified when there is mail, and the first few lines of the mail get
onto your screen.  Then if the mail is not there when you go back for it
you will have seen the sender and can ask for it again.

For the record, I am using Berkeley UNIX 4.3 on a DEC VAX.
I would be interested in knowing any other esoteric features/bugs
about mail.



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