new mail? How?

[colin stewart]

Hi All,

A day or two back I did yet another HD install on this set up as part of the learning. I left the resulting install running for a day or so, just to see what would happen. I was logged out as long as I wasn't around to use the system, and logged in as a variety of users when I was exploring.
Yesterday, I powered the system down after about 2 days. I just powered up again and I have it set so that I start with a console log in from which I can startx or kdm to a gui if I want. I logged in as root, and got a message saying I got new mail!

This has confused me a bit since I have not set any mail up! On further looking about the place I can see no trace of any mail anyway - so what gives? How can I find that to which the beast refers, and more, how might I read same? <shrug>

I mean on the face of it, that looks like the setup is mistaken, but it's far more likely that I am, surely?

[Markus]

You've got the mail in /var/mail/root. It's not a mail account as such AFAIK. It's just where root gets to know for instance if a user has tried to do anything "illegal" like sudoing when not in sudoers.

[Stephen]

Yesterday, I powered the system down after about 2 days. I just powered up again and I have it set so that I start with a console log in from which I can startx or kdm to a gui if I want. I logged in as root, and got a message saying I got new mail!

This has confused me a bit since I have not set any mail up! On further looking about the place I can see no trace of any mail anyway - so what gives? How can I find that to which the beast refers, and more, how might I read same? <shrug>

I mean on the face of it, that looks like the setup is mistaken, but it's far more likely that I am, surely?

In the same console mail and it should show you a list of the mail waiting for you type in the number of the mail you want to see and enter to read, ESC brings you back to the list IIRC and when you are done "q" then enter quits the program.

[colin stewart]

You've got the mail in /var/mail/root. It's not a mail account as such AFAIK. It's just where root gets to know for instance if a user has tried to do anything "illegal" like sudoing when not in sudoers.

OK, thanks, that's great, and how might I actually read it from say the command line or even from a gui for that matter?

I only ask as I did look about the various mail areas, but could see no mail or any files to view.

[Markus]

OK, thanks, that's great, and how might I actually read it from say the command line or even from a gui for that matter?

I only ask as I did look about the various mail areas, but could see no mail or any files to view.

I think Stephen already answered that but have a look at "man mail" to see how it works.

[windos_no_thanks]

OK, thanks, that's great, and how might I actually read it from say the command line or even from a gui for that matter?

If you want something a bit fancier than "mail" mentioned above you could try "mutt" instead.

[colin stewart]

I think Stephen already answered that but have a look at "man mail" to see how it works.

Yes, and now I also know that "mail" is a command and that it's got a "man" to go with it too!

Thanks to both of you!

UPDATE EDIT:

Yes, this works fine too - I noted that after reading a few then using q to quit, only then did it save the mail I had just read in the places I had been previously looking to read it from!

[colin stewart]

OK, thanks, that's great, and how might I actually read it from say the command line or even from a gui for that matter?

If you want something a bit fancier than "mail" mentioned above you could try "mutt" instead.

Oh, now you started something!

I jumps to a shell, and types, mutt

it starts, and then complains there's no file or dir called knoppix

OK thinks I, I'll just make you one then

Goes to make a dir, and access denied, thinks AH, not route.

New shell, sudo mkdir etc......

knoppix is not on sudoers list (not in the club it seems)

ok, so su root .........password..... fine we're root....

mkdir, etc...... sorted.

mutt...... directory is not a mailbox..........Thinks - I see, always bitching instead of doing!.......

OK, so I don't know how to help this dawg out, but I will get to it later as I don't actually see much wrong with "mail" given this is linux, and nice isn't always on the menu!

One (probably more serious) thing that arises out of all of this though. You're always given the advice not to run as root for just about any reason. however you can't do something trivial like make yourself a place to put your mail unless you are, and if knoppix were on the sudo list that could at least be done, so you got to go root either way. Hmmm... the advice really would be easier to stick to if things like this were slightly better than they seem to be, and it's no good needing to be an expert just to make being a n00b make any sense! That's just silly!

Sorry, didn't mean to rant, but this is a bit of a daft situation, and even a n00b like me can see that one!

Anyhoo.....

Afterthought: and yes, I do realise knoppix may not have had any mail, but thats not the point at all is it? we never got that error message like "no mail for knoppix" did we? By comparison that would have been a result not the snafu it seemed to end up as.