POST(1) 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 stan-
dard 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 com-
puter address, the collected 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; diagnostic 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 environment parameter MAILP may be used to spec-
ify the mail invoked; otherwise it is /bin/mail. To update
post's directory with a new or secondary 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 address, 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
POST(1) POST(1)
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