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MH & xmh
Peek J., O’Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol, CA, 1995. Type: Book (9781565920934)
Date Reviewed: Aug 1 1996

The MH message handling system is a set of public-domain, UNIX-based electronic mail programs. Since public-domain documentation for software products is not usually world class, commercial documentation such as this book is essential. The target audience of MH or one of the front-end products that are used with MH will find this book valuable, as will any programmer who wants to do UNIX programming with MH. MH is a mail-user agent that can be used from a UNIX shell prompt. Each MH command is a separate program. The shell interprets the commands, so all the features of the shell can be used with MH. The book also provides comprehensive coverage of three interfaces or front ends to MH--xmh, mh-e, and exmh. These interfaces provide a Windows-like, user-friendly view.

The xmh front end runs from the X Window System Version 11 Release 6, so MH commands are run with an X interface using windows, buttons, and a mouse. The mh-e front end runs from the GNU Emacs editor, thereby providing a windowing interface to MH from almost any terminal. The exmh front end runs under the X Window System. It has many more features than xmh, including the ability to send and receive MIME multimedia messages.

The book is divided into seven sections, with multiple chapters in each section. The introductory section provides information on UNIX email, key parts of the UNIX filesystem, and MIME. MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension. MIME allows information other than plain text, such as pictures, sound, and video, to be sent as part of a message. The second section covers how to use MH. It includes chapters on setting up, touring MH, reading mail, and sending mail. The third section tells how to customize MH.

Each of the next three sections covers one of the three interfaces: xmh, mh-e, or exmh. Each section contains three chapters. The first chapter provides introductory material, the second provides details on how to use the front end, and the third tells how to customize the interface.

The seventh section is a series of appendices. These cover how to obtain further information about MH; a history of MH, xmh, and mh-e; some example files and programs; and a command reference. This reference guide will probably be most useful on an ongoing basis. In addition to a short description, it provides a pointer to the section in the text that gives more information on the use of the command.

The book is reputed to be the MH Bible. As with the Bible, one does not have to read the whole thing to find something of value. The book is well organized into sections, chapters, and subchapters as well as having the reference guide and index. The use of bold, italic, and so on helps to make things clearer, so readers can easily find the material they need. Would that every reader of documentation were so fortunate.

Reviewer:  David G. Hill Review #: CR119713 (9608-0573)
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Other reviews under "Mh": Date
MH & xmh
Peek J., O’Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol, CA, 1990. Type: Book (9780937175637)
Oct 1 1992

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