Re: Policy: Mail folder creation (Re: Debian mutt package)

[Oscar Levi <elf@buici.com>]

On Thu, Dec 10, 1998 at 07:53:04PM -0500, Elie Rosenblum wrote:
> And thus spake Oscar Levi, on Thu, Dec 10, 1998 at 04:27:12PM -0800:
> > On Thu, Dec 10, 1998 at 10:05:35PM +0100, Marco d'Itri wrote:
> > > On Dec 10, Oscar Levi <elf@buici.com> wrote:
> > >  >interpret as is.  Since the spool file will be created automatically
> > >  >by the MTA there is no error requiring user attention. 
> > > The MTA must be sgid mail to create the spool file. Mutt is not.
> > > This is another reason to use ~/Mailbox.
> > 
> > That's the point.  The MTA is responsible for creating spool files.
> > Our policy manual says that MUA are responsible for creating them when
> > they are absent.  Arguably, this is an inappropriate policy statement.
> > 
> > The simplest change to make would be to correct the behavior of mutt
> > to stop claiming that the absence of a spool file is an error.
> 
> In general mutt does not differentiate between your spool file and any
> other mail folder. It does not open mail folders that do not exist, and
> hence the behavior you are seeing.
> 
> Mutt can't do anything with a folder that doesn't exist. Running mutt
> without any arguments when you don't have a mail spool folder is not
> something that's supposed to work - if you don't have a spool file, you
> should be specifying a recipient on the command line or a different
> folder with -f. It must have a folder open - such is the nature of the
> program.

While you explanation is clear, it doesn't change the fact that the
error message generated by mutt is bogus.