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Top Document: MH Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with Answers
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01.01 Why should I use MH?


Date: Fri, 1 Mar 1991 13:03:15 -0800

  The MH message handling system is a set of electronic mail programs
  in the public domain. If your computer runs Unix, it can probably
  run MH.

  The big difference between MH and most other "mail user agents" is
  that you can use MH from a Unix shell prompt. In MH, each command is
  a separate program, and the shell is used as an interpreter. So, all
  the power of Unix shells (pipes, redirection, history, aliases, and
  so on) works with MH--you don't have to learn a new interface. Other
  mail agents have their own command interpreter for their individual
  mail commands (although the mush mail agent simulates a Unix shell).

  Because MH commands aren't part of a monolithic mail system, you can
  use them at any time; you don't have to start or quit the mail
  agent. Because you use them from a shell prompt, you can use all the
  power of the shell.

  If your shell has time-saving aliases or functions (and most do),
  you'll be able to use them with MH, of course. And because MH isn't
  a monolithic mail agent, you can use MH commands in Unix shell
  scripts, or call them from programs in high-level languages like C.

  Unlike most mail agents, MH keeps each message in a separate file.
  The filename is the message number. To rearrange the messages, MH
  just changes the filenames. MH can use standard Unix file system
  operations such as removing, copying and linking messages. The
  message files are grouped into one or more folders, which are
  actually Unix directories.

  MH is free, powerful, flexible--and the basics are easy to learn.



Top Document: MH Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) with Answers
Previous Document: 01.00 ***** Introduction *****
Next Document: !01.02 What is the current version/status of MH.

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