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Text rework.
author markus schnalke <meillo@marmaro.de>
date Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:24:10 +0200
parents 2e61e0004a8f
children ff4537327162
comparison
equal deleted inserted replaced
77:0947c24dd4c6 78:64f177ca2af1
301 .P 301 .P
302 Finally, there's 302 Finally, there's
303 .Pn slocal . 303 .Pn slocal .
304 .Pn slocal 304 .Pn slocal
305 is an MDA and thus not directly MUA-related. 305 is an MDA and thus not directly MUA-related.
306 Conceptionally, it should be removed. 306 It should be removed, because including it is a violation
307 of the idea that mmh is a MUA only.
308 It should become a separate project.
307 But 309 But
308 .Pn slocal 310 .Pn slocal
309 provides rule-based processing of messages, like filing them into 311 provides rule-based processing of messages, like filing them into
310 different folders, which is otherwise not available in mmh. 312 different folders, which is otherwise not available in mmh.
311 Further more, 313 Further more,
330 .Pn slocal ) 332 .Pn slocal )
331 installed. 333 installed.
332 That's conceptionally the best solution. 334 That's conceptionally the best solution.
333 Yet, 335 Yet,
334 .Pn slocal 336 .Pn slocal
335 is not removed, 337 was not removed.
336 but as its existence does not affect the rest of mmh, 338 I feel unsure with the removal.
337 it can be removed at any time. 339 Hence, the decision over
340 .Pn slocal
341 is deferred.
342 This does not hurt because
343 .Pn slocal
344 is completely unrelated to the rest of mmh.
338 345
339 346
340 .H2 "\fLshow\fP and \fPmhshow\fP 347 .H2 "\fLshow\fP and \fPmhshow\fP
341 .P 348 .P
342 Since the very beginning \(en already in the first concept paper \(en 349 Since the very beginning \(en already in the first concept paper \(en
356 limited display facilities couldn't cope with the task any longer. 363 limited display facilities couldn't cope with the task any longer.
357 .P 364 .P
358 Instead of extending these tools, additional tools were written from scratch 365 Instead of extending these tools, additional tools were written from scratch
359 and then added to the MH tool chest. Doing so is encouraged by the 366 and then added to the MH tool chest. Doing so is encouraged by the
360 tool chest approach. The new tools could be added without interfering 367 tool chest approach. The new tools could be added without interfering
361 with the existing ones. This is an advantage. The ease of adding new tools 368 with the existing ones.
362 made MH the first MUA to implement MIME. 369 Modular design is a great advantage for extending a system.
363 .\" XXX ref
364 .P
365 First, the new MIME features were added in form of the single program 370 First, the new MIME features were added in form of the single program
366 .Pn mhn . 371 .Pn mhn .
367 The command 372 The command
368 .Cl "mhn \-show 42 373 .Cl "mhn \-show 42
369 would show the MIME message numbered 42. 374 would show the MIME message numbered 42.
493 .U3 "Backup Prefix 498 .U3 "Backup Prefix
494 .P 499 .P
495 The backup prefix is the string that was prepended to message 500 The backup prefix is the string that was prepended to message
496 filenames to tag them as deleted. 501 filenames to tag them as deleted.
497 By default it had been the comma character `\f(CW,\fP'. 502 By default it had been the comma character `\f(CW,\fP'.
498 There was a configure option to change the default to the hash symbol 503 In July 2000, Kimmo Suominen introduced
499 `\f(CW#\fP': 504 the configure option
500 .CW --with-hash-backup . 505 .Sw --with-hash-backup
501 The implication of the hash symbol is that it introduces a comment 506 to change the default to the hash symbol `\f(CW#\fP'.
502 in the Unix shell. 507 The choice was probably personal preference, because first, the
508 option was named
509 .Sw --with-backup-prefix.
510 and had the prefix symbol as argument.
511 Because giving the hash symbol as argument caused to many problems
512 for configure,
513 the option was limited to use the hash symbol as the default prefix.
514 This makes me believe, that the choice for the hash was personal preference.
515 Being it related or not, words that start with the hash symbol
516 introduce a comment in the Unix shell.
503 Thus, the command line 517 Thus, the command line
504 .Cl "rm #13 #15 518 .Cl "rm #13 #15
505 calls 519 calls
506 .Pn rm 520 .Pn rm
507 without arguments because the first hash symbol starts the comment 521 without arguments because the first hash symbol starts the comment
508 that reaches until the end of the line. 522 that reaches until the end of the line.
509 To delete the backup files, 523 To delete the backup files,
510 .Cl "rm ./#13 ./#15" 524 .Cl "rm ./#13 ./#15"
511 needs to be used. 525 needs to be used.
512 .\" XXX check historical background 526 Using the hash as backup prefix can be seen as a precaution agains
513 Besides this effect, the choice was personal preference. 527 data loss.
528 .P
514 I removed the configure option but added the profile entry 529 I removed the configure option but added the profile entry
515 .Pe backup-prefix , 530 .Pe backup-prefix ,
516 which allows to specify an arbitrary string as backup prefix. 531 which allows to specify an arbitrary string as backup prefix.
517 .Ci 6c40d481d661d532dd527eaf34cebb6d3f8ed086 532 .Ci 6c40d481d661d532dd527eaf34cebb6d3f8ed086
518 Profile entries are the common method to change mmh's behavior. 533 Profile entries are the common method to change mmh's behavior.
519 This change did not remove the choice but moved it to a location where 534 This change did not remove the choice but moved it to a location where
520 it suited better. 535 it suited better.
521 .P 536 .P
522 Eventually, however, the new trash folder obsoleted the concept of the 537 Eventually, however, the new trash folder concept
523 backup prefix completely. 538 .Cf "Sec. XXX
539 obsoleted the concept of the backup prefix completely.
540 .Ci 8edc5aaf86f9f77124664f6801bc6c6cdf258173
524 (Well, there still are corner-cases to remove until the backup 541 (Well, there still are corner-cases to remove until the backup
525 prefix can be layed to rest, eventually.) 542 prefix can be layed to rest, eventually.)
526 .\" FIXME: Do this work in the code! 543 .\" FIXME: Do this work in the code!
527 544
528 .U3 "Editor and Pager 545 .U3 "Editor and Pager
624 .Ci ccf4f175ef4c4e7522f9510a4a1149c15d810dd9 641 .Ci ccf4f175ef4c4e7522f9510a4a1149c15d810dd9
625 642
626 .U3 "ndbm 643 .U3 "ndbm
627 .P 644 .P
628 .Pn slocal 645 .Pn slocal
629 is an MDA included in mmh. 646 used to depend on
630 This is a violation of the idea that mmh is a MUA only.
631 .Pn slocal
632 should become a separate project.
633 Nonetheless, ouf of convenience and due to lack of convincement,
634 yet it remains being part of mmh.
635 This is likely to change in the future.
636 Already,
637 .Pn slocal
638 was stripped down.
639 It used to depend on
640 .I ndbm , 647 .I ndbm ,
641 a database library. 648 a database library.
642 The database is used to store the `\fLMessage-ID\fP's of all 649 The database is used to store the `\fLMessage-ID\fP's of all
643 messages delivered. 650 messages delivered.
644 This enables 651 This enables
647 (This features was enabled by the 654 (This features was enabled by the
648 .Sw -suppressdup 655 .Sw -suppressdup
649 switch.) 656 switch.)
650 .P 657 .P
651 A variety of version of the database library exist. 658 A variety of version of the database library exist.
659 .[
660 wolter unix incompat notes dbm
661 .]
652 Complicated autoconf code was needed to detect them correctly. 662 Complicated autoconf code was needed to detect them correctly.
653 Further more, the configure switches 663 Further more, the configure switches
654 .Sw --with-ndbm=ARG 664 .Sw --with-ndbm=ARG
655 and 665 and
656 .Sw --with-ndbmheader=ARG 666 .Sw --with-ndbmheader=ARG
657 were added to help with difficult setups that would 667 were added to help with difficult setups that would
658 not be detected automatically. 668 not be detected automatically or correctly.
659 .P 669 .P
660 By removing the suppress duplicates feature of 670 By removing the suppress duplicates feature of
661 .Pn slocal , 671 .Pn slocal ,
662 .Ci ecd6d6a20cb7a1507e3a20d6c4cb3a1cf14c6bbf
663 the dependency on 672 the dependency on
664 .I ndbm 673 .I ndbm
665 was removed and 120 lines of complex autoconf could be saved. 674 vanished and 120 lines of complex autoconf code could be saved.
666 .Ci ecd6d6a20cb7a1507e3a20d6c4cb3a1cf14c6bbf 675 .Ci ecd6d6a20cb7a1507e3a20d6c4cb3a1cf14c6bbf
667 The change removed funtionality too, but the value it would have added 676 The change removed funtionality too, but that is minor to the
668 is minor to the weight loss by dropping the dependency and 677 improvement by dropping the dependency and the complex autoconf code.
669 the complex autoconf code.
670 678
671 .U3 "mh-e Support 679 .U3 "mh-e Support
672 .P 680 .P
673 The configure option 681 The configure option
674 .Sw --disable-mhe 682 .Sw --disable-mhe