From:	CSBVAX::MRGATE!adelman@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM@SMTP 24-MAR-1988 11:18
To:	ARISIA::EVERHART
Subj:	Re: Mail package alternatives


Received: from Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM by KL.SRI.COM with TCP; Mon 21 Mar 88 09:54:23-PST
Date:     Mon, 21 Mar 88 09:53:30 PST
From:     adelman@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM (Kenneth Adelman)
Reply-To: Adelman@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM (Kenneth Adelman)
Message-Id: <880321095307.161@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM>
Subject:  Re: Mail package alternatives
To:       rschofield@lucy.wellesley.edu
cc:       info-vax@kl.sri.com

> Wellesley College is in the process of evaluating alternatives to what, if
> I may be blunt, we consider to be a totally unacceptable VMS-Mail.  To that
> end, I am looking, generally, for information on alternative packages and,
> specifically, for information/comments on MM-32 (son of MM and cousin of
> MS) and the University of Western Ontario mail system.

    MM-32 is a mail interface that provides the complete flexibility
of the DEC-20 ARPANet electronic mail systems on the VAX family of
computers.  MM-32 is a user interface, with it you will need a mail
delivery agent. Both Pony Express and the Software Tools Mail
Gateway-II are available under license from SRI International with
MM-32.

> The IDEAL package would run on VMS and Ultrix (and Primos?), would have a
> decent user interface, would be able to deliver mail to other hosts -- both
> local and remote (DECnet, SMTP, X.400, etc.), would support queued delivery
> (when one of those hosts is temporarily unavailable), would have tailorable
> message headers, could invoke an editor only when needed to correct an
> unforeseen typo, ....

    The Software Tools Mail Gateway-II is a mail system based on the
public domain Software Tools Mail System. The difference between it
and the public domain version is a big increase in performance, mainly
due to some reorganization and its own VAX C runtime I/O system, an
interface to MM-32, and the ability to compile and run under GNU-CC
and Eunice as well as VAX/C. The Software Tools Mail Gateway-II and
MM-32 are distributed with source code.

    In addition to MM-32, The Software Tools Mail Gateway II includes
a sharable image interface to VMSmail, an interface to MFE's TELL,
and its own `peculiar' SNDMSG/MSG interface. Network interfaces to
DECnet, TCP/SMTP, BITnet (RSCS), and MFE/SDSCnet are available; X.400
is still a ways down the road. Queued delivery, tailorable headers,
etc, are standard on this and any other `true' mailer.

    The Software Tools Mail Gateway II was written with portability
in mind, and has run on a variety of Unix systems including System
III/V Xenix, Elxsi's ENIX, 4.2/3 BSD, and Ultrix. We are currently
only distributing it for VMS, but would be happy to discuss
distributions for other machines. STMG-II should port easily to any
multiprocessing operating system with a C compiler, structured file
system, and interprocess communication. I would be happy to discuss
porting it to PRIMOS or any other operating system offline with you.

    For licensing information, please contact
DESIREE@WARBUCKS.AI.SRI.COM directly.

					Kenneth Adelman
					SRI International