NAME

mail  −  send mail to designated users

SYNOPSIS

mail [ −yn ] [ person ... ]

DESCRIPTION

Mail with no argument searches for a file called .mail, prints it if it is nonempty, then asks if it should be saved.  If the answer is y, the mail is added to mbox.  Finally .mail is truncated to zero length.  To leave the mailbox untouched, hit ‘delete.’ The question can be answered on the command line with the argument ‘−y’ or ‘−n’.  When persons are named, mail takes the standard input up to an end of file and adds it to each person’s .mail file.  The message is preceded by the sender’s name and a postmark.  A person is either a user name recognized by login (I), in which case the mail is sent to the default working directory of that user; or the path name of a directory, in which case .mail in that directory is used.  When a user logs in he is informed of the presence of mail. No mail will be received from a sender to whom .mail is inaccessible or unwritable. 

FILES

/etc/passwdto identify sender and locate persons
/etc/utmpto identify sender
mboxsaved mail
/tmp/m#temp file

SEE ALSO

write (I)

BUGS