🚀 go-pugleaf

> Is it possible to configure MH so that inc (& whatever else is
> necessary) use POP to get to mail files?

Yes.  Look for (at least) the following options in the mh-gen(8) man
page, that you would choose from for your MH configuration file:

POP RPOP DPOP KPOP MPOP APOP
pop: on

Also, be sure to generate the ADMIN manual, which has more information
about the POP options and auxiliary programs.

> An xbiff-oid that used POP would also be nice.

Here you are:

Add this X resource for Xbiff:

xbiff*checkCommand:  popcheck

And then this script will do the trick:

------------------------Cut here-----------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
# a script to allow xbiff to check on a POP spool area
# relies on the MH program "msgchk", which has POP support

# unfortunately, msgchk returns 1 when there is no mail,
# and xbiff expects a return value of 1 when there is mail.

msgchk -nonotify all

if [ $? != 0 ] ; then
  exit 0
else
  exit 1
fi
------------------------Cut here-----------------------------------------

> This would mean I could do away with the NFS-mounted mail spool
> altogether....

Yes, we've been working towards that goal for over two years, and we are
actually within two weeks of achieving it.  We have a modified version
of UCB Mail (for those we couldn't convince to switch to MH) that gets
the mail via POP and puts it in the home directory and works on it there.

Jim Ault, ITS Systems Programmer, aultj@rpi.edu     <><