145 lines
5.6 KiB
HTML
145 lines
5.6 KiB
HTML
<!doctype html public "-//ietf//dtd html 2.0//en">
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<HTML>
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<HEAD>
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<TITLE>A New Sprout From an Old Elm</TITLE>
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</HEAD>
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<BODY BGCOLOR="#ffefd5" TEXT="#181871">
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<H4>
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"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more lovable!</I>"
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<IMG ALIGN=MIDDLE SRC="../gx/heart.gif"> </H4>
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<P> <HR> <P>
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<center><H3>The Mutt Mailer</H3></center>
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<center><h4><a href="mailto: layers@vax2.rainis.net">by Larry
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Ayers</a></h4></center>
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<hr>
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<center><h4>Introduction</h4></center>
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<p> Michael Elkins is a programmer who at one time was involved in the
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development of the venerable mail-client, Elm. He had some ideas which he
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would have liked to include in Elm but for whatever reasons the other Elm
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developers weren't receptive. So he struck out on his own, creating a
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text-mode mailer which incorporates features from a variety of other
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programs. These include other mailers such as Elm and Pine, as well as John
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Davis's Slrn newsreader. As an indication of the program's hybrid nature
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he has named it Mutt. Although the mailer began as an amalgamation of
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features from other programs, it has begun to assume an identity of its own.
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<p>Mutt has been in beta-testing for several months now and new versions
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have been released regularly. Lately I've noticed that binary packages have
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been appearing in the Sunsite incoming directory, which I take as a sign
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that the program is now deemed ``suitable for a general audience.'' I have
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found that it compiles cleanly and works dependably.
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<center><h4>Distinguishing Characteristics</h4></center>
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<p>The composition of messages has always been a thorn in the side of
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developers of mail clients. After all, a usable mailer is the goal, not
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a text editor. The typical approach has been to include a simple message
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composition editor (such as Pico in Pine) and allow the option of starting an
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external editor of the user's choice. This has certain drawbacks. If in the
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middle of a message you need an editing function not included by the internal
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editor, it can be distracting and awkward to switch boats in midstream, so to
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speak.
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<p>This minor dilemma is neatly side stepped by Mutt; there is no internal
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editor included. All message composition is done with a familiar editor,
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preferably a text-mode one so that Mutt can be run at the console as well as
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under X-windows. As an example, I've set Mutt up to use Vile with a
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message-specific rc-file (sets word-wrap, etc).
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<p>Mutt can be compiled with a feature unusual in text-mode mail clients:
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it can fetch mail from a POP server, a duty which is more commonly assigned to
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an external agent such as Popclient. Compile-time support is also available
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for PGP-encrypted messages, though theoretically this is only available for
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US citizens.
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<p>A few of Mutt's other features include:<br>
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<ul>
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<li>Configurable colorization of various screen elements, such as
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headers, sigs, and foreground/background.
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<li>Message sorting options
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<li>Small executable size (around 150 kb. on my system)
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<li>MIME support
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<li>Message threading
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<li>Indefinite postponement of outgoing messages
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<li>Can use either curses/ncurses or S-lang as the screen library
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<li>Customizable keybindings
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<li>Delivery Status Notification (DSN) support
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</ul>
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<p>Mutt can be run from the command line, if you just want to mail a quick
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message without having to load your mail-spool file. Incidentally, Mutt uses
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the mailx (single-file) message format, so the transition from Pine or Elm
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is painless.
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<p>If you've ever used the Jed editor or Slrn the appearance of Mutt will be
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familiar. Like these programs Mutt is easy on the eyes, and the amount of
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coloring used is easily controlled. The documentation supplied with Mutt is
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very complete, but this isn't one of those programs which takes long to learn.
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<center><h4>Obtaining Mutt</h4></center>
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<p>Binary versions of Mutt are available from the Sunsite archive site,
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currently in <i>pub/Linux/Incoming</i>. I recommend obtaining the source
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from the <a href="ftp://cs.hmc.edu/pub/me">Mutt home site</A>, where the
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latest versions will first appear. Compiling it yourself allows the program
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to be tailored to your needs; there are several compile-time options.
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<p>The non-export version, which contains PGP/MIME support, is
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export-controlled; U.S. citizens can read the file README.US-only and follow
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the directions to access the files. The non-export version has been
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exported anyway (against the author's wishes), and can be obtained from the
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following sites:<br>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="ftp://ftp.teuto.de/pub/user/lmb">ftp.teuto.de/pub/user/lmb</A>
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<li><a href="ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pub/unix/mail/mutt/mutt-pgp">
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ftp.fu-berlin.de/pub/unix/mail/mutt/mutt-pgp</A>
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</ul>
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<hr>
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<p>Why not give it a try? The source file is small, and compilation and
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installation just takes a few minutes. I think you'll like it.
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<hr>
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<a href="mailto: layers@vax2.rainis.net">Larry
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Ayers</a><br>
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<!-- hhmts start -->
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Last modified: Fri Jan 24 18:54:25 CST 1997
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<!-- hhmts end -->
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<!--===================================================================-->
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<P> <hr> <P>
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<center><H5>Copyright © 1997, Larry Ayers <BR>
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Published in Issue 14 of the Linux Gazette</H5></center>
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