This README is for the 2.4 version.
Look file README.ME+ for the 2.4ME+ version.

------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the 2.4 (USENET) version of the Elm Mail System

See the NOTICE and Instruct files for further details.

It is IMPERATIVE that all users rerun newalias after installing
Elm 2.4 when upgrading from a previous version.  Elm's behavior
with aliases could be unpredictable if this step is not performed.

Where to find more info on Elm:
   Much discussion on Elm including interim bug fixes, work arounds
and future plans occurs in the Usenet news group comp.mail.elm.  Also
a monthly status report on Elm is posted there.  This status report
lists the archive sites that have the patches to Elm as well as the
latest version.

Patches to Elm are posted to comp.mail.elm and comp.sources.bugs as
soon as they are released.  They are posted to comp.sources.unix shortly
thereafter, to allow time for feedback of problems in the patches.
Patches should be available from the archive sites, or from the
archive server.  Mail archive-server@DSI.COM for details on how to
use the archive server program.  Ask it for help.

In addition, ftp.uu.net maintains a mirror of the Elm release files
in /networking/mail/elm.  Patches are available in that directory
shortly after release.  Other sites also keep mirrors of the Elm
distribution.  There are sites in Europe, Australia, Taiwan and the UK
in addition to several in the US.  Send the message

	send elm elm.ftp

to archive-server@dsi.com for a current list of ftp mirror sites.


Limitations/Problems you might encounter in compiling and installing Elm:
	
From comp.mail.elm, dws@ssec.wisc.edu (DaviD W. Sanderson) writes:
>... whoever wrote the default termcap
>and/or terminfo descriptions for xterm included in the ti/te strings
>the special escape sequences to make xterm switch between the normal
>and alternate screen buffers.  These sequences are:
>
>	\E[?47h		- use alternate screen buffer
>	\E[?47l		- use normal screen buffer
>...
>The elm code is just fine as it is.  If you change it so that it
>doesn't ever send ti/te, you'll just break elm for somebody else.  Fix
>your termcap/terminfo definition instead.

	On some Unix 5.3.2 systems, if only a runtime version of the
O/S has been installed, not all the include files exist for compiling
curses.c.  The ptem.h include file contains the window sizing structure
on this version.  Either comment out the window sizing code, or install
the remaining include files from the development system.

	If you run a nonstandard configuration of Mail, such as Xenix
running smail, Configure can get confused as to where to place items.
Be sure and check the config.sh file for the correct placement before
continuing.  If changes are necessary, rerun Configure and fix the
file before exiting.

	On SCO Xenix, if you are all mail is from user anonymous,
this is because the mail delivery agent should be
/usr/lib/mail/execmail instead of /usr/bin/rmail or /bin/rmail.

	On Next's NeXTStep 3.0, use the compile flags 
-bsd -fwritable-strings, specify the include file directory
as /usr/include/bsd, and change, at the 'edit the config.sh'
file prompt, the value of d_memcpy to undef and sigtype to int.
(From: Jess Anderson)

	From: Manuel Alberto Ricart <alberto@parsec.mixcom.com>, 
for Next's version 1.0 it is necessary to answer -bsd for the
Any additional cc flags? question and -lsys_s for the
Any additional libraries? question within Configure.
At "If you need to edit config.sh, do it as a shell escape here:"
Change d_voidsig from 'define' to 'undef'
Change passcat from 'cat /etc/passwd' to 'nidump passwd /'
  if you're not using YP/NIS, and don't have more than two levels
  of NetInfo hierarchy.  (Consult a NeXTpert otherwise!)

	on Next's 2.0/2.1 systems: same as above, except
For "Any additional libraries?" just hit RETURN
For "What is the full name of your C library?" specify /lib/libsys_s.a
Also for additional linker ld flags, recommend -object.
This will make the binaries as small as possible. Otherwise
if the smallest binary will be 16K or more.

	On IBM RISC 6000 AIX, 3.2 or newer, to compile Elm during
Configure, -U__STR__ is no longer needed.  Elm should now compile with
no changes.

	On IBM RISC 6000 AIX, prior to 3.2, you might get string
function errors on the compile.  The solution is to do the following:
> Look at /usr/lpp/bos/bsdsport. It tells you
> to add following lines to /etc/xlc.cfg
>  
> * BSD 4.3 c compiler stanza
> bsdcc:	use	   = DEFLT
> 	crt	   = /lib/crt0.o
> 	mcrt	   = /lib/mcrt0.o
> 	gcrt	   = /lib/gcrt0.o
> 	libraries  = -lbsd, -lc
> 	proflibs   = -L/lib/profiled,-L/usr/lib/profiled
> 	options	   = -H512,-T512, -qlanglvl=extended, -qnoro, -D_BSD, -D_NONSTD_TYPES, -D_NO_PROTO, -D_BSD_INCLUDES, -bnodelcsect, -U__STR__, -U__MATH__
> 
> And then link bsdcc to xlc and use bsdcc instead of cc.
> 
> --
>   Mika Koistinen      ------- Opinions are my own-- -----  WARNING:  
>   Myll{rintie 57 F 62 | Internet: mmkoisti@luotsi.uku.fi |  Effect has no code
>   70780  KUOPIO       | Bitnet: mmkoisti@FINKUO          |  in function main
>   FINLAND             | tel 358-71-162805                |  
>         

	Also on IBM RS/6000 AIX (Possibly only prior to 3.2)
> If you want elm to make use of the NLS options documented for
> sendmail (using sendmail.nl) you have to use the UNDOCUMENTED -x flag
> on sendmail. See article in comp.unix.aix
> 
> Since Configure doesn't ask for additional sendmail flags you
> have to add -x in the smflags entry in hdrs/sysdefs.SH (hdrs/sysdefs.h)
> 
> I guess that this should go into the FAQ entry on IBM AIX.
> 
> -- 
> Bjorn Brox, CORENA A/S, P.O. Box 448, 3601 Kongsberg, NORWAY
> E-mail : brox@dms.corena.no , Phone : +47 3 73 66 11 , Fax : +47 3 73 52 62 

From: gordonb@mcil.comm.mot.com (Gordon Berkley)
On HP/Apollo Domain OS:
	Apollo TAR is screwey in creating directories.
	Need to create directories before un-taring
	DIRS="utils test src nls nls/C nls/C/C nls/C/C/C nls/gencat \
		lib hdrs filter doc"
	for dir in $DIRS
	do
		mkdir $dir
	done


	On some systems, especially those based on the AT&T Port to
286's the -O flag of the compiler produces improper code causing
segmentation violations.  If this happens, recompile the code without
the -O flag.  This has been seen with Microport SysV/AT type systems.

	The Configuration script has been known to exercise an old bug
on HP-UX's version of /bin/sh.  This shows up as part of the variable
setting section showing up on your screen, and configure aborting on errors.
If this happens, try using ksh instead of sh as in:
	ksh Configure
this will usually solve the problem.

	The Configuration script has been known to exceed the default
stack size in Unix 286 sh's.  If Configure does not run correctly on
this type of machine increase the stack size and rerun it.  On
Microport SysV/AT machines, Configure might run correctly under ksh.
Obtain ksh from Microport (available to current version owners without
additional charge) and rerun Configure using it.  Xenix 286 users may
have the same problem, but they can work around it by changing the
stack size within the shell as reported a Xenix 286 Elm user:
> I had the same problems as everyone else is reporting on Microports *nix under
> SCO XENIX 2.2.1.
> 
> The solution is simple, up the stack size for /bin/sh. I used 
> 
> # mv /bin/sh /bin/sh.old
> # cp /bin/sh.old /bin/sh
> # fixhdr -F 8000 /bin/sh
> 
> This may seem a bit over the top, but I put it back after!
> 
> # mv /bin/sh /bin/sh.rm
> # mv /bin/sh.old /bin/sh
> 
> Then wait till nobody is using /bin/sh.rm then
> 
> # rm /bin/sh.rm
> 
> That way you preserve your old shell, ( i.e. you don't break it ), but you
> get to use Configure without bus errors etc.
> 
> I hope that of use
> 
> Keith
> -- 
> UUCP ..!uunet!mcvax!ukc!slxsys!g4lzv!keith  | Keith Brazington
> Smart mail  keith@g4lzv.co.uk		    | 5b Northgate Rochester Kent UK
> Ampanet  [44.131.8.1] and [44.131.8.3]	    | +44 634 811594 Voice
> Packet  G4LZV @ GB7UWS -- G4LZV USENET BB --| +44 634 401210 Data v22,v22bis
You might have to try values from 7000 to 8800.

	Also on Microport SysV/AT Machines, the C compiler produces
improper code for one of the arithmetic calls.  To fix this problem it
is necessary to reduce the complexity of the statement, as reported by
one of our testers here is the symptom and his patch.  Being this is a
compiler bug on only one system, we make the information available, but
not incorporate it in the main release.  Note, this may effect other
areas of Elm, and in the future, Microport may even fix this problem.
> I finally tracked down the bug that was causing the lengthy delays when
> the first message was displayed.  The Microport 80286 C compiler was
> generating bad code for the computation of padding in showmsg.c.  The
> compiler generated scratch variables in the expression were being
> located at weird offsets in the stack segment.  This caused the program
> to stall while the kernel attempted to grow the stack segment to a size
> that was large enough to contain the scratch variables.  This explains
> why it only happened the first time a message was displayed.  Here is a
> patch that fixes the problem:
> 
> *** showmsg.c.dist	Fri Mar 17 21:08:37 1989
> --- showmsg.c	Sat Mar 18 06:14:04 1989
> ***************
> *** 280,289
>   	           atoi(current_header->year), current_header->time);
>   
>   	  /* truncate or pad title2 portion on the right
> ! 	   * so that line fits exactly */
> ! 	  padding =
> ! 	    COLUMNS -
> ! 	    (strlen(title1) + (buf_len=strlen(title2)) + strlen(title3));
>   
>   	  sprintf(titlebuf, "%s%-*.*s%s\n", title1, buf_len+padding,
>   	      buf_len+padding, title2, title3);
> 
> --- 280,292 -----
>   	           atoi(current_header->year), current_header->time);
>   
>   	  /* truncate or pad title2 portion on the right
> ! 	   * so that line fits exactly, expression has been
> ! 	   * simplified to avoid bug in Microport 80286
> ! 	   * C compiler */
> ! 	  padding = COLUMNS;
> ! 	  padding -= strlen(title1);
> ! 	  padding -= (buf_len = strlen(title2));
> ! 	  padding -= strlen(title3);
>   
>   	  sprintf(titlebuf, "%s%-*.*s%s\n", title1, buf_len+padding,
>   	      buf_len+padding, title2, title3);
> 
> -- 
> John A. Limpert
> UUCP:	johnl@n3dmc.UUCP, johnl@n3dmc.UU.NET, uunet!n3dmc!johnl


	Some versions of GNUmake are slightly incompatible with
standard make.  If you plan on using GNUmake instead of standard make,
you might need to change instances of:
	-$(MAKEFLAGS)
to:
	$(MAKEFLAGS)
in all Makefiles that contain that construct.


  On some systems (at least MIPS RiscOs 4.52, and CDC EP/IX 1.4.x) there
is an stdlib.h with ANSI Constructs, but the normally supplied Compiler
did not handle ANSI-C. If you use the bundled compiler (cc2.11 or cc2.20),
you should edit config.h after configuring, and remove the define for 
I_STDLIB. With gcc or the separate ANSI C Compiler there should be no problem.

On many systems with the Microsoft UNIX C Compilers, compiling with
optimization breaks the code.  One symptom is that aliases do not
work.  On those machines do not compile any of Elm with optimizations.
To accomplish that, set all occurrences of "OPTIMIZE" in the makefiles
to "-Od" - then it works.  From: mrbulli@btoy1.UUCP (Thomas Bullinger)

SCO uses the Microsoft C compiler in its products.  For releases of the
SCO Development system prior to 3.2v4.2 or ODT 3.0, it is probably wise
to disable optimization.  Elm 2.4 has however been tested with -Oe
optimization under SCO Unix 3.2v4.2 and ODT 3.0 development systems.
This level of optimization can safely be specified in Configure when
you are asked for compiler flags.  From: larryp@sco.com (Larry Philps)

					Syd Weinstein
					Elm Coordinator
					elm@DSI.COM
					(dsinc!elm)
