Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!gatech!hubcap!ncrcae!ncrlnk!ciss!tmoore
From: tmoore@ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM (Tom.Moore@ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM)
Newsgroups: comp.mail.elm
Subject: Missing text when printing
Message-ID: <447@ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM>
Date: 17 Feb 89 13:21:16 GMT
Reply-To: tmoore@ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM (Tom.Moore@ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM)
Distribution: usa
Organization: NCR Corp. Network Application Services
Lines: 66


We have run into an interesting problem with mail from cron and the Elm
mail system.  Given that the following message from cron placed in 
your mailbox:

+ From ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM!root Wed Feb 15 23:58 EST 1989
+ chmod: can't change dead.letter
+ /usr/lib/uucp/deadletter.sh: dead.letter: cannot create
+
+
+ *******************************************
+ Cron: The previous message is the standard output
+       and standard error of one of your cron commands.

When the message is read, it appears as:

+ Message 1/9 from ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM!root          Feb 15 '89 at 23:58 pm
+
+
+ chmod: can't change dead.letter
+ /usr/lib/uucp/deadletter.sh: dead.letter: cannot create
+
+
+ *******************************************
+ Cron: The previous message is the standard output
+       and standard error of one of your cron commands.

So far so good.  However when the user tries to print the same message,
it prints out as:

+ From: ciss.Dayton.NCR.COM!root
+ Wed Feb 15 23:58 EST 1989
+
+
+ *******************************************
+ Cron: The previous message is the standard output
+       and standard error of one of your cron commands.

The problem appears to be when Elm rearranges the header information, it
simply discards the two lines of text assuming they are some sort of
header lines that it does not understand.  After all, they are before
the blank line.

The raises the questions:

1. Should Elm discard things that it does not understand.

2. Should Elm show me one thing on the screen and then print something
   else on the printer.  This is particularly unfortunate since it is not
   noticed until after deleting the messages, exiting Elm, and strolling over
   to the printer to pick up the hard copy you thought you had.

3. Is there some reasonable way around this that someone already knows.  

Numbers 1 and 2 are open to discussion (as if I had a choice after posting
this).  Number 3 requires a resolution.  It's hard to get people to use
something when as soon as they start to feel good about it, something like
this happens.

For myself, I like Elm and will continue to use it.  My short term solution
for myself is "If it hurts, don't do it).

-- 
* Tom Moore                NCR Corporation  PCD-6              (513) 445-1373 *
* Consulting Analyst       1700 S. Patterson Blvd.         VOICEplus 622-1373 *
* Network Applications     Dayton, OH 45479          Tom.Moore@Dayton.NCR.COM *