Mailer questions and a Curses bug (was: mailx for 3b1 ver 3.0)

[wilber at alice.UUCP]

kevin at kosman.UUCP writes:
>However, as an ex-mailx-from-the-store user, I can recommend mush, which
>was recently posted to the comp.sources.somethingorother group.  It has
>stuff in it for tailoring to the UNIX PC.  While still imperfect, it is
>a better tool with its bugs than mailx is in its perfection.

Right now I'm still using ye olde crufty standard-issue-out-of-the-box mail,
but I read and write mail with Emac's rmail.  I would like to know what
advantages, if any, there are to using one of mailx, smail, mush, etc., for
someone who uses Emacs.

>Besides, you get source, and you can help Dan Heller find out what is wrong
>with the curses interface on the UNIX PC.  (I have not had the time and
>inclination).  Dan only has BSD unix, so has some trouble keeping the
>thing current on SYSV boxes.  With help, this could become just as good
>for us.

Here's a Curses bug I found early on, and it may be the source of some
problems people have been having with 3b1 Curses.  Mvcur() simply doesn't work
when you're in noecho mode.  (In fact, it doesn't seem to work if the program
was *ever* in noecho mode, even if it's currently in echo mode.)  Mvcur isn't
used very much but if you want to implement a low level "redraw screen"
operation and be able to reset the cursor to the right place it comes in
handy.  On the 3b1 you just can't use it.  I discovered this bug during that
fleeting moment in time when everything was still under warranty.  I called
the hotline, sent them a little one page program that exhibits the bug, and
eventually managed to convince them that it really is a bug.  They assured me
that it would probably never get fixed.  Love those software "warrantees".

>... I use mush and smail (both are supplied with sources).

What are the advantages of using both of these together?

Bob Wilber   Work: UUCP: {allegra, mtune, ihnp4}!gauss!wilber
                   ARPA: wilber at research.att.com
             Home: UUCP: {allegra, mtune, ihnp4}!gauss!heaven!wilber
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