On Sun, Dec 18, 2022, at 3:29 PM, Jason McIntyre wrote: > On Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 02:21:41AM +0000, Tim Chase wrote: >> According to the POSIX definitions for mail(1) & mailx(1), the >> (s)ave command should save to "mbox" if the filename is not specified >> >> > Save the specified messages in the file named by the pathname >> > file, or the mbox if the file argument is omitted >> >> (newer spec) >> https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/mailx.html#tag_20_75_13_33 >> >> > s [file] >> > Save the message in the named file (mbox is default). >> >> (older spec) >> https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/7908799/xcu/mail.html#tag_001_014_1339 >> >> >> >> However, when exercising this functionality, mail(1) on OpenBSD >> (also tested on FreeBSD where the same issue manifests[1]) doesn't >> support this: >> >> demo$ echo test | mail -s "test" demo # send self a message >> demo$ mail >> Mail version 8.1 6/6/93. Type ? for help. >> "/var/mail/demo": 1 message 1 new >> >N 1 d...@localhost.my.do Thu Dec 15 19:34 19/775 "test" >> & s >> No file specified. >> >> While I'm not positive on the solution, I think it involves tweaking >> the save1() function in src/usr.bin/mail/cmd2.c such that instead >> of failing if it can't snarf(), it should set `file` to "mbox" or >> "&" so that expand() points to the mbox as required by POSIX. >> >> -tkc >> >> [1] >> https://bugs.freebsd.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=268402 >> > > hi. > > currently mail(1) has these entries in FILES: > > FILES > /var/mail/* post office (unless overridden > by the MAIL environment > variable) > ~/mbox user's old mail > > isn;t it the case that openbsd uses mailboxes in /var/mail by default, > instead of ~/mbox, as displayed?
I believe those FILES entries are correct. A pristine install of OpenBSD will have Theo's welcome email waiting in /var/mail/root . Running `mail`, reading it, and then quitting (q) without any use of `s` will deposit the "user's old mail" in /root/mbox. Brian
