term% cat index.txt POST(1) General Commands Manual POST(1)
NAME
post - send mail to users by name
SYNOPSIS
post [ -w ] person ...
post
DESCRIPTION
Post translates people's real names to addresses and sends mail. If
used with person arguments, it collects the standard input up to EOT or
a line containing only a single `.' character. It expects each person
argument to be either a form recognized by mail(1) or
[firstname.[middlename.]]lastname[:location][:department]
where every part except lastname may be abbreviated to a prefix. If
the person identified is known to have a computer address, the col‐
lected input is sent there; otherwise paper mail is printed and routed
to a clerk for forwarding.
From most computers post routes mail through a central post office; di‐
agnostic messages will be returned by mail.
If the person argument is ambiguous, a list of possibilities is printed
and you are asked to choose the desired person. The -w option gives
the address, but sends nothing.
To maintain mailing lists or avoid typing long addresses, you may keep
an address book in $HOME/lib/post.addr. Each line in the file begins
with an alias or mailing list name which is followed by one or more
person arguments.
Post with no person arguments invokes mail to read your mail. The en‐
vironment parameter MAILP may be used to specify the mail invoked; oth‐
erwise it is /bin/mail. To update post's directory with a new or sec‐
ondary address mail the following statement to alice!mailroom.
UPDATE: computer!uid cmd first.init.last:loc:dept
cmd may be IS, ANOTHER or WAS. IS makes the computer id the home ad‐
dress, ANOTHER, a secondary address, and WAS deletes it. It expects
the name to be identical to that in the BTL phone book.
FILES
/usr/spool/mail/* mailboxes
/tmp/ma* temp file
dead.letter unmailable text
$HOME/lib/post.addr user address book
/crp/post/tmail.? address lists
/crp/post/tuid.? userid lists
/usr/lib/post/genpost general postoffice
/usr/lib/post/post.test test "no run" program
SEE ALSO
mail(1)
`Electronic Mail Without Aliases,' by R. J. Elliott and M. E. Lesk
POST(1)