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<!doctype html public "-//ietf//dtd html 2.0//en">
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<HEAD>
<TITLE>A New Sprout From an Old Elm</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#ffefd5" TEXT="#181871">
<H4>
"Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more lovable!</I>"
<IMG ALIGN=MIDDLE SRC="../gx/heart.gif"> </H4>
<P> <HR> <P>
<!--===================================================================-->
<center><H3>The Mutt Mailer</H3></center>
<center><h4><a href="mailto: layers@vax2.rainis.net">by Larry
Ayers</a></h4></center>
<hr>
<center><h4>Introduction</h4></center>
<p> Michael Elkins is a programmer who at one time was involved in the
development of the venerable mail-client, Elm. He had some ideas which he
would have liked to include in Elm but for whatever reasons the other Elm
developers weren't receptive. So he struck out on his own, creating a
text-mode mailer which incorporates features from a variety of other
programs. These include other mailers such as Elm and Pine, as well as John
Davis's Slrn newsreader. As an indication of the program's hybrid nature
he has named it Mutt. Although the mailer began as an amalgamation of
features from other programs, it has begun to assume an identity of its own.
<p>Mutt has been in beta-testing for several months now and new versions
have been released regularly. Lately I've noticed that binary packages have
been appearing in the Sunsite incoming directory, which I take as a sign
that the program is now deemed ``suitable for a general audience.'' I have
found that it compiles cleanly and works dependably.
<center><h4>Distinguishing Characteristics</h4></center>
<p>The composition of messages has always been a thorn in the side of
developers of mail clients. After all, a usable mailer is the goal, not
a text editor. The typical approach has been to include a simple message
composition editor (such as Pico in Pine) and allow the option of starting an
external editor of the user's choice. This has certain drawbacks. If in the
middle of a message you need an editing function not included by the internal
editor, it can be distracting and awkward to switch boats in midstream, so to
speak.
<p>This minor dilemma is neatly side stepped by Mutt; there is no internal
editor included. All message composition is done with a familiar editor,
preferably a text-mode one so that Mutt can be run at the console as well as
under X-windows. As an example, I've set Mutt up to use Vile with a
message-specific rc-file (sets word-wrap, etc).
<p>Mutt can be compiled with a feature unusual in text-mode mail clients:
it can fetch mail from a POP server, a duty which is more commonly assigned to
an external agent such as Popclient. Compile-time support is also available
for PGP-encrypted messages, though theoretically this is only available for
US citizens.
<p>A few of Mutt's other features include:<br>
<ul>
<li>Configurable colorization of various screen elements, such as
headers, sigs, and foreground/background.
<li>Message sorting options
<li>Small executable size (around 150 kb. on my system)
<li>MIME support
<li>Message threading
<li>Indefinite postponement of outgoing messages
<li>Can use either curses/ncurses or S-lang as the screen library
<li>Customizable keybindings
<li>Delivery Status Notification (DSN) support
</ul>
<p>Mutt can be run from the command line, if you just want to mail a quick
message without having to load your mail-spool file. Incidentally, Mutt uses
the mailx (single-file) message format, so the transition from Pine or Elm
is painless.
<p>If you've ever used the Jed editor or Slrn the appearance of Mutt will be
familiar. Like these programs Mutt is easy on the eyes, and the amount of
coloring used is easily controlled. The documentation supplied with Mutt is
very complete, but this isn't one of those programs which takes long to learn.
<center><h4>Obtaining Mutt</h4></center>
<p>Binary versions of Mutt are available from the Sunsite archive site,
currently in <i>pub/Linux/Incoming</i>. I recommend obtaining the source
from the <a href="ftp://cs.hmc.edu/pub/me">Mutt home site</A>, where the
latest versions will first appear. Compiling it yourself allows the program
to be tailored to your needs; there are several compile-time options.
<p>The non-export version, which contains PGP/MIME support, is
export-controlled; U.S. citizens can read the file README.US-only and follow
the directions to access the files. The non-export version has been
exported anyway (against the author's wishes), and can be obtained from the
following sites:<br>
<ul>
<li><a href="ftp://ftp.teuto.de/pub/user/lmb">ftp.teuto.de/pub/user/lmb</A>
<li><a href="ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/pub/unix/mail/mutt/mutt-pgp">
ftp.fu-berlin.de/pub/unix/mail/mutt/mutt-pgp</A>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>Why not give it a try? The source file is small, and compilation and
installation just takes a few minutes. I think you'll like it.
<hr>
<a href="mailto: layers@vax2.rainis.net">Larry
Ayers</a><br>
<!-- hhmts start -->
Last modified: Fri Jan 24 18:54:25 CST 1997
<!-- hhmts end -->
<!--===================================================================-->
<P> <hr> <P>
<center><H5>Copyright © 1997, Larry Ayers <BR>
Published in Issue 14 of the Linux Gazette</H5></center>
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