[3790] in Athena Bugs
vax 6.4A: /usr/athena/sendbug
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (John Kohl)
Fri Dec 8 08:46:52 1989
To: bugs@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
Date: Fri, 08 Dec 89 08:46:36 EST
From: John Kohl <jtkohl@Kolvir.Brookline.MA.US> or <jtkohl@Kolvir.Brookline.MA.US> <jtkohl>
System name: lycus
Type and version: CVAXSTAR 6.4A
Display type: SM
What were you trying to do?
I was trying to file a bug report (which I will, momentarily)
What's wrong:
the script /usr/athena/sendbug has two MH-related flaws:
1) it assumes that the existence of ~/.mh_profile indicates the user
uses MH for mail.
This is INCORRECT because things like msgchk (in the standard startup
files) insist on creating/reading ~/.mh_profile. I use RMAIL and yet I
have a .mh_profile, because it lets me use msgchk (without
~/.mh_profile, msgchk will try to create it and ask silly questions).
2) the whatnow program it uses will also attempt to create ~/.mh_profile
if it is absent. This means that even if you avoid the first pitfall,
this one gets you, and traps you in the first one on the next bug report.
What should have happened:
The script should use some better way to determine if a user
really uses MH.
Please describe any relevant documentation references:
[{1}lycus:/afs/athena.mit.edu/user/j/jtkohl]
% man sendbug
No manual entry for sendbug.
[{1}lycus:/afs/athena.mit.edu/user/j/jtkohl]
%
