Problems with unix "mail" command

Problems with unix "mail" command

Post by Edward A. pad » Tue, 16 Jun 1998 04:00:00



I have an interesting problem with the mail command. Whenever I try to
read my mail it refuses to show any message bodies.

I type in "mail" and see my list of mail messages contained in
/var/spool/mail/root. If I type a number to view the message the mail
program exits and says "held xx messages in /var/spool/mail/root". On
the same note, If I try to compose a mail message using the mail
command I can type a subject header but can never type a message body.
Instead of letting me type the message body it just sends the message
with the subject and gives the message "Null message body; hope that's
okay.."... Well, it's not okay dammit!!!! ;->

I'm sure it's some trivial configuration issue. It seems that mail
must call some other program for message body editing and that part is
broken. I tried the usual how-to's and deja-news searches but haven't
found this particular problem mentioned.

I'm using Caldera Open Linux Base 1.2

BTW: elm works fine so I know it's not a problem with the MTA
(sendmail, in this case.).  You might say "well, then, just use
elm...". I need to write some scripts that send mail messages and the
mail command is just better suited to this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 
 
 

1. Strange Problem using unix "Mail" command

 have an interesting problem with the mail command. Whenever I try to
read my mail it refuses to show any message bodies.

I type in "mail" and see my list of mail messages contained in
/var/spool/mail/root. If I type a number to view the message the mail
program exits and says "held xx messages in /var/spool/mail/root". On
the same note, If I try to compose a mail message using the mail
command I can type a subject header but can never type a message body.
Instead of letting me type the message body it just sends the message
with the subject and gives the message "Null message body; hope that's
okay.."... Well, it's not okay dammit!!!! ;->

I'm sure it's some trivial configuration issue. It seems that mail
must call some other program for message body editing and that part is
broken. I tried the usual how-to's and deja-news searches but haven't
found this particular problem mentioned.

I'm using Caldera Open Linux Base 1.2

BTW: elm works fine so I know it's not a problem with the MTA
(sendmail, in this case.).  You might say "well, then, just use
elm...". I need to write some scripts that send mail messages and the
mail command is just better suited to this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

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