🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <4323@auspyr.UUCP> joe@auspyr.UUCP (Joe Angelo) writes:
>> If SysV mailx doesn't have the ability to reply using From_ instead of From:,
>> it loses...
>
>Mailx doesn't lose anything as it sits back and smiles -- you are forgetting
>that SOMEONE is losing! ...

Sorry, I was using an "in" term.  In the hacker's dictionary, a program (or
other entity) "loses" or "is losing" if it has *really obvious* deficiencies.

> Did you ever use Mailx and try to reply to
>From: user@domain with a To: and Cc: line??!  I've seen core dumps and
>infinite loops leading to stray pointers. It's really a serious problem.

I agree.  If a company ships a product that dumps core under ANY circumstances,
rather than always catching itself and printing error messages, that company
should fix that product and ship out bug fixes.  Commercialism in action.

>[...] Mailx has alot of features UCB/Mail doesn't.

Like dumping core on invalid addresses :-) ?

Seriously, though, I agree with you.  Sun uses Mailx instead of Mail in their
product.  ATT (or whomever) did a nice job on Mailx...

>Actually, I haven't noticed ANY problems by modifying the header line
>as host!user.  But then again, ain't bliss just great? ... 

If you want to do that in the sender-rewrite rule for your local mailer, go
ahead.  If you forward or reply in the user agent, it will leave your system
with a h!u or u@h header -- either way, only two components, and accurate
(if the other site knows how to parse h!u in the From: line, as seems
probable).

But don't do this to mail "passing through" your site -- it's rude.

>	# From: {host!user || user@domain} [ <Real Name> ]

Tech note: this won't always work.  The From: line has several alternative
formats.  If there are <>'s in the line, they surround the address and the
rest of the line are comments:

	From: Paul A. Vixie <paul@vixie.UUCP>
or	From: <paul@vixie.UUCP> Paul A. Vixie

If there are no <>'s, then stuff in ()'s is comment and what remains is
address:

	From: paul@vixie.UUCP (Paul A. Vixie)

Note that there is no guarantee that the comment part will be there, and
if it is it can be anywhere in the line -- i.e., before OR after the real
address.

The continuing moral (unrelated to above, just want to keep this on track):

	Don't modify the From: line!  If you want the path the message took
	to get to you, use the From_ line!
-- 
Paul A. Vixie        {ptsfa, crash, winfree}!vixie!paul
329 Noe Street       dual!ptsfa!vixie!paul@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
San Francisco        
CA  94116            paul@vixie.UUCP     (415) 864-7013