talkd processes never die

[ccvj at lure.latrobe.edu.au]

It just grows and grows!
Has anyone come across this before?  Mips M-120, RISC/os 4.52, a 
student machine (I say this only because I thought it was the students!)
I have a problem with talkd in that the processes never disappear.  
Usually, I just go in and kill them, but today I found another aspect to it.
I don't know whether there is something with talk, file protections and 
whether there is a separate problem with biff or RISCwindows (just 
recently installed), but this is what happens.

-r-xr-xr-x   1 bin      bin       163840 Jan 31 12:05 /bsd43/bin/talk
crwx------   1 ccvj     cc        15,  4 May 16 11:29 /dev/ttyq4

# who
root       tty0         May  6 17:21  1:59  29384  (console == tty0)
ccvj       ttyq4        May 10 13:37  0:12   4694
csixw      ttyq1        May 15 11:42  1:38  21326
root       ttyq3        May 15 16:40   .    26078

...so I try kill -9 21326, because this user really is not on the system
anymore.  Actually, I have an idle process killer which executes approx
every 15 minutes which is supposed to be doing this , but the process
does not actually exist, so root is mailed that info, I myself (not root)
have an xterm session going (ttyq4), and I keep getting advised that new mail 
has arrived for root.  Every time mail arrives (rather I am notified by biff)
another talkd process happens.

Before being notified of mail for root (ie first ps): 6 processes
    root 26475   154  0 16:57:33 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26341     1  0 16:49:28 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26447     1  0 16:55:32 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26421     1  0 16:53:31 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26476 26475  0 16:57:33 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26387     1  0 16:51:30 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26523 26092  4 16:59:06 ttyq3    0:00 grep talk 

After notification - 7 processes
    root 26525   154  0 16:59:34 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26341     1  0 16:49:28 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26447     1  0 16:55:32 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26421     1  0 16:53:31 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26476     1  0 16:57:33 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26387     1  0 16:51:30 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26526 26525  0 16:59:34 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26528 26092  2 16:59:53 ttyq3    0:00 grep talk 

Yet later later.. - 9 processes
    root 26765 26092  4 17:15:05 ttyq3    0:00 grep talk 
    root 26609     1  0 17:01:35 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26647     1  0 17:05:37 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26341     1  0 16:49:28 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26447     1  0 16:55:32 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26421     1  0 16:53:31 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26476     1  0 16:57:33 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26387     1  0 16:51:30 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26628     1  0 17:03:36 ?        0:00 talkd 
    root 26526     1  0 16:59:34 ?        0:00 talkd 

Of course, I have now stopped mail being sent by cron for the idle
process killer, but I really do not understand what is happening.
Could someone please explain the connection between biff and talk (if
there is one).  There appear to be at least two separate problems:
1. the talkds never dying and 2. why my xterm is notified for root's
mail plus 3? the relationship between biff and talk.

If the answer is something obvious, please email me, as my ego is fairly 
fragile at the moment.  Thanks in advance!

------
Vicki Jordan				La Trobe University
ccvj at lure.latrobe.edu.au		Bundoora, Vic 3083 Australia.