Re: Resolutions to comments on LSB-FHS-TS_SPEC_V1.0

[Andrew Josey <ajosey@rdg.opengroup.org>]

(note the cc: list has been chopped as per Dan's mail)

HPA wrote:

>>
>>    So maybe any standard should not say something about the mail spool dir?
>
>Actually, it might be worthwhile to specify that if environment
>variable MAILBOX exists, then MUAs need to honour it?

As an FYI its worth pointing out the following three environment
variables that the POSIX.2 shell defines for email.  The first would
seem already to give us the equivalent of MAILBOX noted above.


     MAIL Determine a pathname of the user's mailbox file for purposes
          of incoming mail notification. If this variable is set, the
          shell will inform the user if the file named by the variable
          is created or if its modification time has changed. Informing
          the user is accomplished by writing a string of unspecified
          format to standard error prior to the writing of the next
          primary prompt string after the completion of an interval
          defined by the MAILCHECK variable. The user will be informed
          only if MAIL is set and MAILPATH is not set.

     MAILCHECK
          Establish a decimal integer value that specifies how often
          (in seconds) the shell will check for the arrival of mail in
          the files specified by the MAILPATH or MAIL variables. The
          default value is 600 seconds. If set to zero, the shell will
          check before issuing each primary prompt.

     MAILPATH
          Provide a list of pathnames and optional messages separated
          by colons. If this variable is set, the shell will inform the
          user if any of the files named by the variable are created or
          if any of their modification times change. (See the preceding
          entry for MAIL for descriptions of mail arrival and user
          informing.) Each pathname can be followed by "%" and a string
          that will be subjected to parameter expansion and written to
          standard error when the modification time changes. If a "%"
          character in the pathname is preceded by a backslash, it will
          be treated as a literal "%" in the pathname. The default
          message is unspecified. The MAILPATH environment variable
          takes precedence over the MAIL variable.

(the above taken from URL
http://www.unix-systems.org/single_unix_specification_v2/xcu/sh.html )

regards
Andrew