Goals for this Hour

In this hour, you learn about

• Enabling messages using mesg

• Writing to other users with talk

• Reading electronic mail with mailx

• Sending electronic mail with mailx

• Internet email addresses

• The smarter alternative for sending mail, elm

Of all the places in UNIX where there is variety, most of it surely is found in electronic mail, or email. At least 15 programs are available from various vendors to accomplish two tasks: to read mail from and send mail to other folks. In this hour, you learn about the standard electronic mail system, Berkeley Mail. I also take a little time to whet your appetite by showing you the Elm Mail System, a full-screen alternative mail program that's widely distributed.

You'd have to be sleeping under a pretty big rock not to know that there's a much bigger world than just your own machine, a world called the Internet. You'll learn more about how UNIX lets you be a power participant on the network in subsequent chapters.