Elm Release Notes

Table of Contents

What is Elm

Author's Notice

The author of Elm 2.4 PL24 ME5 is Michael Elkins (elkins@aero.org). Elm 2.4 PL24 ME5 is based on Elm 2.4 (USENET), coordinated by Syd Weinstein (elm@DSI.COM). Neither Elkins nor Weinstein are responsible for changes made in this SGI version.

The original distribution of Elm 2.4 PL24 ME5a is subject to the following Copyright:

                The Elm(tm) Mail System General Public License
                 

                    (C) Copyright 1988-1992, USENET Community Trust
                    (C) Copyright 1986,1987, by Dave Taylor


                                COPYING POLICIES

     Permission is hereby granted for copying and distribution of copies of
  the Elm source files, and that of any part thereof, subject to the following 
  license conditions:

        1. You may, without additional permission from the authors, distribute 
           Elm or components of Elm, with or without additions developed by 
           you or by others at no charge.  You may also distribute Elm along 
           with any other product for sale, provided that the cost of the 
           bundled package is the same regardless of whether Elm is included,
           and provided that those interested only in Elm must be notified 
           that it is a product freely available from the Elm Development Group.
        2. You may, without additional permission from the authors, distribute 
           copies of the Elm Documentation, with or without additions developed by 
           you or by others at no charge or at a charge that covers the cost of
           reproducing the copies, provided that the Elm copyright notice is
           retained.

        3. Furthermore, if you distribute Elm software or parts of Elm, with 
           or without additions developed by you or others, then you must 
           either make available the source to all portions of the Elm system 
           (exclusive of any additions made by you or by others) upon request, 
           or instead you may notify anyone requesting source that it is 
           freely available from the Elm Development Group.

        4. In addition, you may not omit any of the copyright notices
           on either the source files, the executable file, or the 
           documentation, and

        5. Also, you may not omit transmission of this License agreement with 
           whatever portions of Elm that are distributed.

        6. Lastly, any users of this software must be notified that it is
           without warrantee or guarantee of any nature, express or implied, 
           nor is there any fitness for use represented.

Software is a malleable thing - especially UNIX - and the authors can in no
way guarantee that using this program will not cause grievous damage to your
system.  Of course this isn't anticipated, but if it does happen, the authors
cannot be held liable for any damages either directly or indirectly caused
by this event.

Modification of the system is encouraged, providing that the portions of 
the system that are from the original still carry the appropriate copyright
notices and that the changed sections are clearly delimited as such.  The
authors requests copies of any changes made to ensure that the various versions
stay reasonably in sync with each other.  Please send all revisions to
elm@DSI.COM.

NOTE that it is not permitted to copy, sublicense, distribute or transfer any
of the Elm software except as expressly indicated herein.  Any attempts to
do otherwise will be considered a violation of this license and your rights
to the Elm software will be voided.


Comments on the system and/or this licensing agreement is encouraged.  Send
electronic mail to "taylor@intuitive.com".  This license was written with
help from Scott McGregor.  Thanks Scott!

----
Elm is a trademark of Dave Taylor. 

NOTE: Elm is now in the public trust. Comments, suggestions, bug reports and thelike should be sent to Syd Weinstein; elm@DSI.COM (dsinc!elm)

Installation Information

Elm Subsystems

elm.sw.elm

Contains the core Elm software; essential to run Elm.

elm.man.manpages

Contains preformatted, on-line pages for use with man(1).

elm.man.help

Contains Elm on-line help; type 'h' in Elm to read these.

elm.man.psdocs

Contains Elm manuals in PostScript(r) format; they can be read by xpsview, Ghostscript, or Ghostview.

elm.man.textdocs

Contains Elm manuals in ASCII format; they can be read by more(1) or vi(1). Includes the Elm frequently-asked-questions list (FAQ).

elm.man.relnotes

Contains SGI release notes in html format; they can be read with an HTML viewer like xmosaic or netscape

elm.src.elm

Contains complete source code to Elm 2.4 PL24 ME5a plus SGI additions.

Installation Method

Compatibility

Elm is compatible with mailbox files created with zmail and Berkeley mail (/usr/sbin/Mail). However, it may not work with files created by other mail readers; not all existing mail readers have been tested. Please back up your mail folder(s) before manipulating them with Elm.

Configuration Files

Elm is quite configurable. It can be configured on a per-user basis by using an .elmrc file in a user's home directory. No .elmrc is installed. However, a sample .elmrc is provided in /usr/freeware/doc/elm/elmrc.samp . Documentation on the file's contents can be found in the Elm Reference Guide.

Documentation Information

• The Elm Users Guide gives an overview for using the mail reader, suitable for end users.
• The Elm Reference Guide gives detailed information on all of Elm's options and commands.
• The Elm Configuration Guide covers compile-time customization and installation of Elm.
• The Elm Alias System Users Guide explains what Elm aliases are and how to use them.
• The Elm Forms Mode Guide explains what Forms Mode is and how to use forms.
• The Elm Filter System Guide describes the Elm mail filtering program.

The main Elm web site can be found here.

A list of frequently asked questions about Elm, with answers (FAQ), is maintained by Piero Serini (piero@free.it). A static version is included here.

The USENET news group comp.mail.elm discusses Elm.