BINMAIL(1)BINMAIL(1)NAME
binmail - send or receive mail among users
SYNOPSIS
/bin/mail [ + ] [ -i ] [ person ] ...
/bin/mail [ + ] [ -i ] -f file
DESCRIPTION
Note: This is the old version 7 UNIX system mail program. The default
mail command is described in mail(1), and its binary is in the
directory /usr/ucb.
mail with no argument prints a user's mail, message-by-message, in
last-in, first-out order; the optional argument + displays the mail
messages in first-in, first-out order. For each message, it reads a
line from the standard input to direct disposition of the message.
newline
Go on to next message.
d Delete message and go on to the next.
p Print message again.
- Go back to previous message.
s [ file ] ...
Save the message in the named files (`mbox' default).
w [ file ] ...
Save the message, without a header, in the named files (`mbox'
default).
m [ person ] ...
Mail the message to the named persons (yourself is default).
EOT (control-D)
Put unexamined mail back in the mailbox and stop.
q Same as EOT.
!command
Escape to the Shell to do command.
* Print a command summary.
An interrupt normally terminates the mail command; the mail file is
unchanged. The optional argument −i tells mail to continue after
interrupts.
When persons are named, mail takes the standard input up to an end-of-
file (or a line with just `.') and adds it to each person's `mail'
file. The message is preceded by the sender's name and a postmark.
Lines that look like postmarks are prepended with `>'. A person is
usually a user name recognized by login(1). To denote a recipient on a
remote system, prefix person by the system name and exclamation mark
(see uucp(1C)).
The -f option causes the named file, for example, `mbox', to be printed
as if it were the mail file.
When a user logs in he is informed of the presence of mail.
FILES
/etc/passwd to identify sender and locate persons
/usr/spool/mail/* incoming mail for user *
mbox saved mail
/tmp/ma* temp file
/usr/spool/mail/*.lock lock for mail directory
dead.letter unmailable text
SEE ALSOmail(1), write(1), uucp(1C), uux(1C), xsend(1), sendmail(8)BUGS
Race conditions sometimes result in a failure to remove a lock file.
Normally anybody can read your mail, unless it is sent by xsend(1). An
installation can overcome this by making mail a set-user-id command
that owns the mail directory.
7th Edition April 29, 1985 BINMAIL(1)