Annotation of 43BSD/contrib/mh/papers/bboards/text.tex, revision 1.1

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        !             2: \banner
        !             3: \section{Acknowledgements}
        !             4: The \MH/ system described herein is based on the original Rand \MH/ system.
        !             5: It has been extensively developed (perhaps too much so) by Marshall Rose and
        !             6: John Romine at the University of California, Irvine.
        !             7: Einar Stefferud, Jerry Sweet, and Terry Domae provided numerous suggestions
        !             8: to improve the UCI version of \MH/.
        !             9: 
        !            10: In particular, the UCI BBoards facility,
        !            11: which was suggested by Einar Stefferud,
        !            12: has been in place at the University of California, Irvine
        !            13: (in one form or another) for the last two and one-half years.
        !            14: The UCI BBoards facilities runs under both \MMDF/ and {\sf SendMail},
        !            15: and, in a more restricted form, under stand-alone \MH/.
        !            16: 
        !            17: \section{Disclaimer}
        !            18: The Regents of the University of California wish to make it known that:
        !            19: \bigquote
        !            20: Although each program has been tested by its contributor,
        !            21: no warranty, express or implied,
        !            22: is made by the contributor or the University of California,
        !            23: as to the accuracy and functioning of the program
        !            24: and related program material,
        !            25: nor shall the fact of distribution constitute any such warranty,
        !            26: and no responsibility is assumed by the contributor
        !            27: or the University of California in connection herewith.
        !            28: \endbigquote
        !            29: 
        !            30: \section{Scope}
        !            31: This document explains how to use the UCI BBoards facility to a user familiar
        !            32: with \MH/ and the \unix/ operating system in general.
        !            33: A large degree of expertise is not assumed.
        !            34: This document does not attempt to introduce \MH/ to the novice user
        !            35: (for that task, consult the \MH/ tutorial known as \cite{MH.TUT}).
        !            36: Additional information on the programs discussed here
        !            37: (particularly \pgm{bbc\/}) is to be found in \cite{MH}.
        !            38: 
        !            39: \section{Conventions}
        !            40: In this document,
        !            41: certain \TeX -formatting conventions are adhered to:
        !            42: \smallskip
        !            43: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !            44: \item{1.} The names of \unix/ commands, such as \pgm{comp},
        !            45: are presented in {\it text italics}.
        !            46: \item{2.} Arguments to programs, such as \arg{msgs},
        !            47: are presented in {\tt typewriter style} and delimited by single-quotes.
        !            48: \item{3.} \unix/ pathnames and envariables,
        !            49: such as \file{/usr/uci/} and \file{\$SIGNATURE},
        !            50: are presented in {\sl slanted roman}.
        !            51: \item{4.} Text presenting an example, such as
        !            52: \example comp\ -editor\ zz\endexample
        !            53: is presented in {\tt typewriter style}.
        !            54: \smallskip}
        !            55: 
        !            56: \section{Introduction}
        !            57: \MH/ is a very powerful message handling system that runs under the \unix/
        !            58: operating system.
        !            59: One of the many features which \MH/ offers is an interface to the UCI BBoards
        !            60: facility.
        !            61: This facility permits the efficient distribution of interest group messages
        !            62: on a single host, a group of hosts under a single administration, and the
        !            63: ARPA Internet community.
        !            64: 
        !            65: Described simply, a interest group is composed of a number of subscribers
        !            66: with a common interest.
        !            67: These subscribers post mail to a single address, known as a
        !            68: {\it distribution} address.
        !            69: From this distribution address, a copy of the message is sent to each
        !            70: subscriber.
        !            71: Each group has a {\it moderator},
        !            72: which is the person that runs the the group.
        !            73: This moderator can usually be reached at a special address,
        !            74: known as a {\it request} address.
        !            75: Usually, the responsibilities of the moderator are quite simple,
        !            76: since the mail system handles the distribution to subscribers automatically.
        !            77: In some cases, the interest group,
        !            78: instead of being distributed directly to its subscribers,
        !            79: is put into a {\it digest} format by the moderator and then sent to the
        !            80: subscribers.
        !            81: Although this requires more work on the part of the moderator,
        !            82: such groups tend to be better organized.
        !            83: 
        !            84: Unfortunately, there are a few problems with the scheme outlined above.
        !            85: First, if two users on the same host subscribe to the same interest group,
        !            86: two copies of the message get delivered.
        !            87: This is wasteful of both processor and disk resources.
        !            88: 
        !            89: Second,
        !            90: some of these groups carry a lot of traffic.
        !            91: Although subscription to an group does indicate interest on the part of a
        !            92: subscriber,
        !            93: it is usually not interesting to get $50$ messages or so delivered to 
        !            94: the user's private maildrop each day,
        !            95: interspersed with {\it personal} mail,
        !            96: that is likely to be of a much more important and timely nature.
        !            97: 
        !            98: Third, if a subscriber on the distribution list for a group becomes ``bad''
        !            99: somehow,
        !           100: the originator of the message and not the moderator of the group is notified.
        !           101: It is not uncommon for a large list to have $10$ or so bogus addresses present.
        !           102: This results in the originator being flooded with ``error messages'' from
        !           103: mailers across the ARPA Internet stating that a given address on the list was
        !           104: bad.
        !           105: Needless to say,
        !           106: the originator usually could not care less if the bogus addresses got a copy
        !           107: of the message or not.
        !           108: The originator is merely interested in posting a message to the group at large.
        !           109: Furthermore, the moderator of the group does care if there are bogus
        !           110: addresses on the list,
        !           111: but ironically does not receive notification.
        !           112: 
        !           113: To solve all of these problems,
        !           114: the UCI BBoards facility introduces a new entity into the picture:
        !           115: all interest group mail is handled by a special component of the mail system.
        !           116: The distribution address maps to a special {\it channel} that performs
        !           117: several actions.
        !           118: First, if local delivery is to be performed,
        !           119: then a copy of the message is placed in a global maildrop for the interest
        !           120: group with a timestamp and a unique number.
        !           121: Local users can read messages posted for the interest group by reading the
        !           122: file.
        !           123: Second, if further distribution is to take place,
        !           124: a copy of the message is sent to the distribution address in such a way that
        !           125: if any of the addresses are bogus,
        !           126: the failure notice is sent to the maintainer of the group and not the
        !           127: originator.
        !           128: 
        !           129: This scheme has several advantages:
        !           130: First, messages delivered to the host are processed and saved once
        !           131: in a globally accessible area.
        !           132: The UCI BBoards facility supports software which allows a user to query the
        !           133: interest group for new messages and to read those messages in the \MH/-style.
        !           134: Second, once a host subscribes to an interest group,
        !           135: a user can add or remove him/herself from the list without contacting the
        !           136: moderator.
        !           137: Third, a hierarchical distribution scheme can be constructed to further
        !           138: reduce the amount of message traffic.
        !           139: Fourth, errors are prevented from propagating.
        !           140: When an address on the distribution list goes bad,
        !           141: the request address immediately responsible for the address is notified.
        !           142: Usually, this is the local PostMaster and not the group moderator.
        !           143: 
        !           144: In addition to solving the problems outlined above,
        !           145: the UCI BBoards facility supports several other capabilities.
        !           146: BBoards may be automatically archived in order to conserve disk space and
        !           147: reduce processing time when reading them.
        !           148: 
        !           149: Special alias files may be generated which allow the \MH/ user to shorten
        !           150: address type-in.
        !           151: For example, instead of sending to \eg{SF-Lovers@Rutgers},
        !           152: a user of \MH/ usually sends to \eg{SF-Lovers} and the \MH/ aliasing
        !           153: facility automatically makes the appropriate expansion in the headers of the
        !           154: outgoing message.
        !           155: Hence, one need only know the name of a interest group and not its address.
        !           156: 
        !           157: Finally, the UCI BBoards facility supports {\it private} interest groups
        !           158: using the \unix/ group access mechanism.
        !           159: This allows a group of people on the same or different machines to conduct a
        !           160: private discussion.
        !           161: 
        !           162: The practical upshot of all this is that the UCI BBoards facility automates
        !           163: the vast majority of BBoards handling from the point of view of both the
        !           164: PostMaster and the user.
        !           165: 
        !           166: \section{BBoard Handling}
        !           167: Usually the term {\it BBoard} is used interchangeably with the terms
        !           168: {\it discussion group} and {\it interest group}.
        !           169: This is true of the discussion that follows.
        !           170: 
        !           171: The messages for a BBoard delivered locally are kept in the same format as
        !           172: a maildrop.%
        !           173: \nfootnote{Actually,
        !           174: your site might be running with all BBoards kept on a single host.
        !           175: \MH/ supports the remote access of BBoards using a modified version of the
        !           176: ARPA Post Office Protocol (POP).
        !           177: This has the advantage that it saves a lot of disk space,
        !           178: and incurs only a modest performance penalty.}
        !           179: Unlike the user's private maildrop however,
        !           180: the \pgm{inc} program is not run to incorporate new BBoard messages into
        !           181: the user's \MH/ \eg{+inbox} folder.
        !           182: The programs which are used will be discussed momentarily.
        !           183: 
        !           184: Each message in a BBoard maildrop has a unique number and a timestamp.
        !           185: The number, called the {\it BBoard-ID}, is always ascending.
        !           186: The BBoard-ID of a message should {\bf NOT} be confused with the message
        !           187: number of a message, which can change as messages are removed from the BBoard.
        !           188: The BBoard-ID is a value which is unique for every message delivered locally
        !           189: to the BBoard.
        !           190: 
        !           191: To read BBoards, the \MH/ user invokes \pgm{bbc}.
        !           192: The \pgm{bbc} program has several switches to direct it's action.
        !           193: The \switch{topics} switch to \pgm{bbc} tells the \MH/ user about the
        !           194: status of a BBoard.
        !           195: The \switch{check} switch to \pgm{bbc} lets the \MH/ user check on the
        !           196: activity of a BBoard.
        !           197: The \switch{read} switch to \pgm{bbc} invokes the \pgm{msh} program on the
        !           198: BBoard.
        !           199: \pgm{msh} is a monolithic program which contains most of the functionality of
        !           200: \MH/ in a single program.
        !           201: These commands are now discussed in greater detail.
        !           202: 
        !           203: \subsection{BBoard status}
        !           204: The \switch{topics} option to the \pgm{bbc} program can be used to report
        !           205: information about a BBoard that does not pertain to the user's reading habits.
        !           206: If the \MH/ users types \example bbc\ -topics\endexample
        !           207: then \pgm{bbc} will list the following information for all BBoards received
        !           208: on the host:
        !           209: \smallskip
        !           210: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !           211: \item{$\bullet$} the official name of the BBoard
        !           212: \item{$\bullet$} the number of messages delivered to the BBoard
        !           213: (but not necessarily present)
        !           214: \item{$\bullet$} the date and time of the last message delivered to the BBoard
        !           215: \medskip}
        !           216: \noindent
        !           217: In addition to \switch{topics},
        !           218: if the \switch{verbose} option is given to \pgm{bbc},
        !           219: then more information is listed:
        !           220: \smallskip
        !           221: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !           222: \item{$\bullet$} any aliases the BBoard is known as
        !           223: \item{$\bullet$} the local leaders of the BBoard
        !           224: \item{$\bullet$} the file that the BBoard is locally delivered to
        !           225: \item{$\bullet$} the ``global'' distribution address
        !           226: \item{$\bullet$} the ``global'' request address
        !           227: \item{$\bullet$} the host that distributes the BBoard to the local host
        !           228: \item{$\bullet$} the addresses to which this host distributes
        !           229: \item{$\bullet$} miscellaneous information (presently only archiving status)
        !           230: \medskip}
        !           231: \noindent
        !           232: Naturally, \pgm{bbc} can be invoked with the \switch{topics} option and one or
        !           233: more BBoard names listed on its command line.
        !           234: For example \example bbc\ -topics\ unix-wizards\endexample is completely
        !           235: acceptable~---~it tells \pgm{bbc} to report the status of the BBoard
        !           236: \eg{unix-wizards}.
        !           237: 
        !           238: \subsection{BBoard checking}
        !           239: The \switch{check} option to the \pgm{bbc} program can be used to check for
        !           240: new BBoard messages in a synchronous fashion
        !           241: (i.e., when you specifically ask for it).
        !           242: The \MH/ users types \example bbc\ -check\endexample and \pgm{bbc} consults
        !           243: the profile entry for \eg{bboards:} in the user's \profile/ file.
        !           244: For each BBoard listed,
        !           245: \pgm{bbc} prints one of several messages depending on the status of both the
        !           246: BBoard and the user's reading habits
        !           247: (for example, in the case of the mythical BBoard \eg{foo\/}):
        !           248: \smallskip
        !           249: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !           250: \item{1.} \eg{foo -- n items unseen}\hbreak
        !           251: This message indicates items in the BBoard have not been seen by the user.
        !           252: When \pgm{bbc} is invoked with the \eg{quiet} switch,
        !           253: this is the only informative message that \pgm{bbc} will print out.
        !           254: Users of \MH/ usually put \example bbc\ -check\ -quiet\endexample
        !           255: in their \file{\$HOME/.login} file.
        !           256: 
        !           257: \item{2.} \eg{foo -- empty}\hbreak
        !           258: The BBoard is empty.
        !           259: 
        !           260: \item{3.} \eg{foo -- n items (none seen)}\hbreak
        !           261: The BBoard has $n$ items in it, but the user hasn't seen any.
        !           262: 
        !           263: \item{4.} \eg{foo -- n items (all seen)}\hbreak
        !           264: The BBoard is non-empty, and the user has seen everything in it.
        !           265: 
        !           266: \item{5.} \eg{foo -- n items seen out of m}\hbreak
        !           267: The BBoard has at most $m-n$ items that the user has not seen.
        !           268: \medskip}
        !           269: \noindent
        !           270: It is important to note that \pgm{bbc} performs its calculations on
        !           271: BBoard-ID:s and not the messages actually present in a BBoard.
        !           272: This means that the numbers given by \pgm{bbc} are maximal end-points.
        !           273: When \pgm{bbc} says $n$, \pgm{bbc} means ``at most $n$''.
        !           274: 
        !           275: Naturally, \pgm{bbc} can be invoked with the \switch{check} option and one or
        !           276: more BBoards listed on its command line.
        !           277: For example \example bbc\ -check\ info-c\ poli-sci\endexample is completely
        !           278: acceptable~---~it tells \pgm{bbc} to check on the BBoards \eg{info-c} and
        !           279: \eg{poli-sci} only.
        !           280: 
        !           281: There are two ways to check for new BBoard messages in an asynchronous fashion:
        !           282: using the \pgm{CShell} variable \file{\$mail} and running the \pgm{useto}
        !           283: program.
        !           284: 
        !           285: \subsubsection{Asynchronous Checking with the CShell}
        !           286: The \pgm{CShell} has a variable called \file{\$mail}.
        !           287: This variable can contain one or more words.
        !           288: Each word should be a filename where the shell should check for new mail.
        !           289: The check is performed after a specified time interval has elapsed just
        !           290: before the shell would prompt the user.
        !           291: 
        !           292: If the first word of \file{\$mail} is a number,
        !           293: then this number specifies a different checking interval, in seconds,
        !           294: than the default, which is 10 minutes.
        !           295: 
        !           296: Whenever the time interval elapses and the shell is ready to prompt the user,
        !           297: the shell looks at the file and decides if new messages have arrived.
        !           298: If so, it says \example You have new mail.\endexample
        !           299: if only one file is present in \file{\$mail}.
        !           300: Otherwise,
        !           301: if more than one file is present in \file{\$mail},
        !           302: then the shell says \example New mail in foo.\endexample whenever there is new
        !           303: mail in the file called \eg{foo}.
        !           304: 
        !           305: To find out what file is associated with a BBoard, say \eg{info-unix},
        !           306: the \MH/ user types \example bbc\ -topics\ -verbose\ info-unix\endexample
        !           307: Usually the local file for a BBoard has an extension of \file{.mbox}.
        !           308: 
        !           309: \subsubsection{Asynchronous Checking with Useto}
        !           310: In contrast to using the \file{\$mail} variable in the \pgm{CShell},
        !           311: the \MH/ user might employ \pgm{useto} instead.%
        !           312: \nfootnote{Not all sites have \pgm{useto};
        !           313: contact the same people who supplied \MH/ to get a copy.}
        !           314: The \pgm{useto} program is a continuous update display that prints information
        !           315: on the status line of your terminal.
        !           316: Needless to say,
        !           317: your terminal must support a status line in order to run \pgm{useto}.
        !           318: Not all terminals have this capability,
        !           319: but for those that do it's usually well worth the effort to run \pgm{useto}.
        !           320: 
        !           321: For example, users of \MH/  could put
        !           322: \example
        !           323:     useto\ -bepf\ \'tcp-ip\ sftp\'\ %
        !           324:        \'\%D\ \%M\ \%d\ \%h:\%m\%z\%b\ \%n.tty\%t:\%l1\'%
        !           325: \endexample
        !           326: in their \file{\$HOME/.login} file.
        !           327: This command line to \pgm{useto} says to inform the user of
        !           328: \smallskip
        !           329: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !           330: \item{$\bullet$} the current date and time
        !           331: \item{$\bullet$} new mail for the user
        !           332: \item{$\bullet$} new messages for the BBoards \eg{tcp-ip} and \eg{sftp}
        !           333: \item{$\bullet$} the name of the host and tty that the user is logged in on
        !           334: \item{$\bullet$} the 5--minute load average of that host
        !           335: \smallskip}
        !           336: 
        !           337: The \pgm{useto} program is really quite amusing and useful.%
        !           338: \nfootnote{To be honest,
        !           339: the author considers computing environments without \pgm{useto}
        !           340: to be less than adequate.}
        !           341: 
        !           342: \subsection{BBoard reading}
        !           343: If \pgm{bbc} is not given either the \switch{check} or \switch{topics} option,
        !           344: the \pgm{bbc} program reads BBoard messages.
        !           345: For each BBoard listed in the \MH/ user's profile entry for \eg{bboards:},
        !           346: \pgm{bbc} checks to see if there is unread mail.
        !           347: If so, \pgm{bbc} starts \pgm{msh} on the BBoard,
        !           348: telling \pgm{msh} which messages haven't been seen.%
        !           349: \nfootnote{If the \switch{verbose} option is given to \pgm{bbc},
        !           350: then \pgm{bbc} will start \pgm{msh} on the BBoard regardless of whether there
        !           351: are unseen messages there.}
        !           352: 
        !           353: When \pgm{msh} starts it identifies the BBoard being read and indicates how
        !           354: many messages are present and how many the user has read.
        !           355: Usually, in the user's \MH/ profile,
        !           356: the user has the entry \example msh:\ -scan\endexample
        !           357: This says that when \pgm{msh} starts,
        !           358: it should print a {\it scan listing} of the messages which the user
        !           359: hasn't seen yet.
        !           360: 
        !           361: The \pgm{msh} program now prompts the user for \MH/ commands.
        !           362: The user may type most of the normal \MH/ command.
        !           363: The syntax and semantics of the commands typed to \pgm{msh} are identical
        !           364: to their \MH/ counterparts.
        !           365: For example, to reply to a message on the BBoard,
        !           366: the \MH/ user types \eg{repl};
        !           367: other \MH/ commands likewise may be applied to BBoard messages.
        !           368: In cases where the nature of \pgm{msh} would be inconsistent
        !           369: (e.g., specifying a \arg{+folder} with some commands),
        !           370: \pgm{msh} will duly inform the user.
        !           371: In addition to supporting most \MH/ commands,
        !           372: \pgm{msh} also has a \eg{help} command which gives a brief overview.
        !           373: 
        !           374: The only command that behaves entirely differently in \pgm{msh} is the
        !           375: \eg{mark} command when given no arguments.
        !           376: The \pgm{msh} program maintains a special sequence, \eg{unseen},
        !           377: which it uses to keep track of the messages you've seen.
        !           378: If the \eg{mark} command is given without any arguments,
        !           379: then \pgm{msh} will interpret it as
        !           380: \example mark\ -sequence\ unseen\ -delete\ -nozero\ all\endexample
        !           381: Hence, to discard all of the messages in the current BBoard being read,
        !           382: the \MH/ user types \eg{mark} which says to remove all messages from sequence
        !           383: called \eg{unseen}.
        !           384: 
        !           385: To leave \pgm{msh} use the \eg{quit} command.
        !           386: This tells \pgm{msh} to terminate and \pgm{bbc} to go to the next BBoard.
        !           387: Instead, if the user types EOT (usually CTRL-D),
        !           388: then \pgm{bbc} will exit as well,
        !           389: updating whatever information was appropriate.
        !           390: 
        !           391: \section{Current BBoards}
        !           392: There are many, many active interest groups.
        !           393: Consult the BBoard called \eg{list-of-lists} for a comprehensive description.
        !           394: Here are a few of the more popular:
        !           395: \smallskip
        !           396: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !           397: \item{\tx system}
        !           398: Important announcements for the local system are posted here.
        !           399: 
        !           400: \item{\tx mh-users}
        !           401: A discussion group for users of \MH/.
        !           402: 
        !           403: \item{\tx arpanet-bboards}
        !           404: Redistribution address for all known BBoards on the ARPAnet.
        !           405: 
        !           406: \item{\tx editor-people}
        !           407: Discussion of topics related to computerized text editing, display editors, 
        !           408: and human factors in man/machine interaction.
        !           409: The theoretical discussion is catholic,
        !           410: but practical discussion focuses particularly on \tops20/ and \unix/.
        !           411: 
        !           412: \item{\tx franz-friends}
        !           413: Discusses the Franz Lisp language.
        !           414: 
        !           415: \item{\tx header-people}
        !           416: Interest specifically in the format of message headers and related issues 
        !           417: such as inter-network mail formats/standards, etc.
        !           418: 
        !           419: \item{\tx human-nets}
        !           420: {\sf Human-Nets} has discussed many topics,
        !           421: all of them related in some way to the theme of a world-wide computer and
        !           422: telecommunications network usually called WorldNet.
        !           423: The topics have ranged very widely, from something like tutorials,
        !           424: to state of the art discussions,
        !           425: to rampant speculation about technology and its impact.
        !           426: 
        !           427: \item{\tx info-micro}
        !           428: Information/discussion list on the general interest topic of microcomputers.
        !           429: 
        !           430: \item{\tx info-unix}
        !           431: {\sf Info-UNIX} is intended for question/answer discussion,
        !           432: where ``novice'' system administrators can pose questions.
        !           433: 
        !           434: \item{\tx msggroup}
        !           435: Interest in electronic mail, message formats, message systems, and the 
        !           436: sociological implications of the above.
        !           437: 
        !           438: \item{\tx poli-sci}
        !           439: A permanent distributed political ``bull'' session.
        !           440: 
        !           441: \item{\tx sf-lovers}
        !           442: Science Fiction lovers.
        !           443: {\sf SF-Lovers} has discussed many topics,
        !           444: all of them related in some way to the theme of science fiction or fantasy.  
        !           445: 
        !           446: \item{\tx space}
        !           447: Discussions (daily digest) on space-related topics.
        !           448: 
        !           449: \item{\tx telecom}
        !           450: A broad spectrum moderated-digest-format discussion on telecommunictions 
        !           451: technology: the telephone system, modems, and other more technical aspects 
        !           452: of telecommunications systems.  
        !           453: 
        !           454: \item{\tx unix-emacs}
        !           455: Used for new release announcements and general discussions of Gosling's
        !           456: \EMACS/.
        !           457: 
        !           458: \item{\tx unix-wizards}
        !           459: Distribution list for people maintaining machines running the \unix/ operating
        !           460: system.
        !           461: \medskip}
        !           462: \noindent
        !           463: As discussed earlier,
        !           464: to find out about all of the BBoards that the local host subscribes to,
        !           465: the \MH/ users types \example bbc\ -topics\endexample
        !           466: 
        !           467: \section{More on BBoards}
        !           468: Finally, here are a few more operational details:
        !           469: 
        !           470: \subsection{Creating a BBoard}
        !           471: Contact the PostMaster at your host to have a BBoard created.
        !           472: Be sure to indicate its status (public or private)
        !           473: and scope (where distribution should occur).
        !           474: 
        !           475: \subsection{Subscribing to a BBoard}
        !           476: If your local host already receives an interest group,
        !           477: then simply add the name of the BBoard to the \eg{bboards:} entry in your
        !           478: \MH/ profile.
        !           479: If not, ask the PostMaster to create the BBoard and contact the global
        !           480: request address for you.
        !           481: 
        !           482: \subsection{BBoard Archives}
        !           483: BBoard messages are automatically archived on a weekly basis.
        !           484: Usually, this results in messages older than 12 days being moved to an
        !           485: {\it archive} area.
        !           486: To read the archives for a BBoard, the \switch{archive} option is used.
        !           487: For example, \example bbc\ -archive\ telecom\endexample
        !           488: tells \pgm{bbc} to invoke \pgm{msh} on the archives for the \eg{telecom}
        !           489: BBoard.
        !           490: 
        !           491: Note that the archives may not be present for all BBoards on a given host;
        !           492: also note that the archives may be periodically moved to tape and expunged
        !           493: from the system.
        !           494: Contact your local PostMaster for the details.
        !           495: 
        !           496: \subsection{BBoard Addresses}
        !           497: Each BBoard has associated with it 4 addresses
        !           498: (for example, in the case of the mythical BBoard \eg{foo\/}):
        !           499: \smallskip
        !           500: {\advance\leftskip by\parindent
        !           501: \item{\tx foo} The global distribution list\hbreak
        !           502: If you post a message addressed to {\tx foo} then the message is distributed
        !           503: to everyone who subscribes to \eg{foo}.
        !           504: 
        !           505: \item{\tx dist-foo} The local distribution list\hbreak
        !           506: If you post a message addressed to {\tx dist-foo} then the message is
        !           507: distributed to the local BBoard for \eg{foo}
        !           508: and to any sites which the local system distributes to.
        !           509: 
        !           510: \item{\tx foo-request} The global moderator\hbreak
        !           511: If you post a message addressed to {\tx foo-request} then the message is
        !           512: sent to the moderator for the entire interest group called \eg{foo}.
        !           513: 
        !           514: \item{\tx local-foo-request} The local moderator\hbreak
        !           515: If you post a message addressed to {\tx local-foo-request} then the message is
        !           516: sent to the person responsible for the BBoard \eg{foo} on the local system.
        !           517: \medskip}
        !           518: \noindent
        !           519: These addresses are defined by the \MH/ alias facility.
        !           520: Users of the BBoards facility who do not use \MH/ may not be able to make use
        !           521: of them.
        !           522: 
        !           523: \subsection{Leading a BBoard}
        !           524: Except for special circumstances, this task is wholly automated.
        !           525: For more information though,
        !           526: see the manual entries for \man bbl(1) and \man bbleaders(8).
        !           527: 
        !           528: \section{Extra for Experts}
        !           529: Some clever \MH/ users might ask why BBoards aren't kept as folders instead
        !           530: of \pgm{pack}'d files.
        !           531: This is a good question.
        !           532: Perhaps some future release of \MH/ and the UCI BBoards facility will treat
        !           533: BBoards as a variant of read-only folders.
        !           534: 
        !           535: The problem with \pgm{msh}, of course, is that it's a monolithic program,
        !           536: and although it does support input/output redirection and a few other
        !           537: primitive shell-like properties, it's still not the \pgm{CShell}.

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