Using Mail

The SunOS release 4.x mail programs are different in the Solaris 2.6 operating environment; however, procedures for setting up mail are still the same. The SunOS release 4.x version of mail is included in the SunOS/BSD Source Compatibility Package. Its user interface is different from the Solaris 2.6 operating environment's version of mail. Additionally, some useful mail facilities are included for compatibility.

In the Solaris 2.6 operating environment, there are three programs for sending and retrieving your mail. All three are backward compatible and can be used to read your SunOS release 4.x mail. They are:

• mailtool, the OpenWindows interface for the mail program. New Solaris 2.6 mailtool options enable you to attach files to your messages, include third-party messages with your mail, deliver mail to multiple recipients, and send audio messages.

  See OpenWindows Version 3.1 User's Guide for a complete discussion of mailtool.

• mailx, which is installed under /usr/bin/mailx. This is the Solaris 2.6 mail reading program. It is an enhanced version of SunOS release 4.x /usr/ucb/mail. In the Solaris 2.6 operating environment, /usr/ucb/mail is a link to /usr/bin/mailx. mailx offers message headers that enable you to preview the sender and subject of each message before you read them. You can also switch between reading, sending, and editing mail messages.

  See the mailx(1) man page for more information on mailx.

• mail refers to the mail program under /usr/bin/mail. The Solaris 2.6 interface is similar to the SunOS release 4.x /usr/bin/mail version (see the bin-mail(1) manual page in SunOS 4.x Reference Manual).

  See the mail(1) man page for more information on mail.

For a complete discussion of all Solaris 2.6 mail programs, see Mail Administration Guide.