NAME

binmail − send or read mail

SYNOPSIS

/bin/mail [ −p ] [ −q ] [ −f filename ]
/bin/mail recipient ...

DESCRIPTION

Note: This is the old version 7 UNIX system mail program.  The default mail command, /usr/ucb/mail is described in mail(1).

/bin/mail with no address prints a user’s mail, message-by-message in last-in, first-out order.  /bin/mail accepts commands from the standard input to direct the disposition of messages. 

When addresses are named, /bin/mail takes the standard input up to an end-of-file (or a line with just ‘.’) and routes it through the mailer deamon to each recipient.  See sendmail(8) for details. The message is preceded by the sender’s name and a postmark. Lines that could be mistaken for a postmark are prepended with a >.  A recipient is a user name recognized by login, a network address or local mail alias, or a filename (see aliases(5) for details).

If there is any pending mail, login tells you there is mail when you log in.  It is also possible to have the shell, or the mail notification program, biff inform you about mail that arrives while you are logged in. 

To forward mail automatically, add the addresses of additional recipients to the .forward file in your home directory.  Note that forwarding addresses must be valid, or the messages will "bounce."  (You cannot reroute your mail to a new host by forwarding it to your new address if it is not yet listed in the YP mail.aliases domain.) 

OPTIONS

−p print messages without prompting for commands.  Exit immediately upon receiving an interrupt. 

−q quit immediately upon interrupt. 

−f filename
use filename as if it were the mail file. 

COMMANDS

?  print a command summary. 

EOT (control-D)
put unexamined mail back in the mail file and quit.

!command
escape to the Shell to do command.

− go back to previous message. 

+ go on to next message. 

NEWLINE
go on to next message.

d delete message and go on to the next. 

dq delete message and quit. 

m [ person ] ...
mail the message to the named persons (yourself is default). 

n go on to next message. 

p print message (again). 

q same as EOT. 

s [file] ...
save the message in the named files (‘mbox’ default).  If saved successfully, remove it from the list and go on to the next message. 

w [ file ] ...
save the message, without a header, in the named files (‘mbox’ default).  If saved successfully, remove it from the list and go on to the next message. 

x exit without changing the mail file. 

FILES

/etc/passwd     to identify sender and locate address
/usr/spool/mail/∗incoming mail for user ∗
mboxsaved mail
/tmp/ma∗temp file
/usr/spool/mail/∗.locklock for mail directory
dead.letterunmailable text is saved here
$HOME/.forwardlist of forwarding recipients

SEE ALSO

mail(1), biff(1), write(1), uucp(1C), uux(1C), xsend(1), sendmail(8), aliases(5), csh(1)

BUGS

Race conditions sometimes result in a failure to remove a lock file. 

The superuser can read your mail, unless it is encrypted by des, encrypt, or xsend.  Even if you encrypt it, the superuser can delete it. 

Sun Release 3.5  —  Last change: 13 January 1987