mmssggss -- Command

Read messages intended for all COHERENT users
mmssggss [-_q] [_n_u_m_b_e_r]

mmssggss selects  and displays  messages that  are intended to  be read  by all
COHERENT  users.   Messages are  mailed  to the  login  mmssggss.  They  should
contain information meant to be read once by most users of the system.

The command mmssggss  normally is in a user's .pprrooffiillee,  so that it is executed
every  time  he logs  in.   When  invoked, it  prompts  the  user with  the
identifier of the  user who sent the message and  the message's size.  mmssggss
then asks the  user if he wishes to see  the rest of the message.  The user
should reply with one of the following:

    yy          Display the message.
    <rreettuurrnn>   Display the message.
    nn          Skip this message and go to the next one.
    -          Redisplay the last message.
    qq          Quit mmssggss.
    _n_u_m_b_e_r     Display message _n_u_m_b_e_r; then continue.

If environmental variable PPAAGGEERR is defined, mmssggss will ``pipe'' each message
through the  command specified in PPAAGGEERR. For  example, the .pprrooffiillee command
line:

    export PAGER="exec /bin/scat -1"

would invoke  /bbiinn/ssccaatt for each message with the  command line argument -11
(the digit one).

mmssggss writes  into the file  $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc the number of  the next message
the user  will see when  he invokes mmssggss.   mmssggss keeps all  messages in the
directory /uussrr/mmssggss; each message  is named with a sequential number, which
indicates its  message number.  The file  /uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss contains the low
and high numbers of the  messages in the directory; mmssggss determines whether
a  user   has  not  read   a  message  by  comparing   the  information  in
$(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc  with  that   in  /uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss.   If  the  contents  of
/uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss are  incorrect, the problem can be  fixed by removing that
file; mmssggss will create a new bboouunnddss file the next time it is run.

When the  contents of a  message are no  longer needed, simply  remove that
message.  Avoid  removing the bboouunnddss file and  the highest numbered message
at the same time.

mmssggss accepts the following command-line options:

-qq   Query whether there are  messages; print ``There are new messages'' if
     there are,  and ``No new  messages'' if not.   The command mmssggss  -qq is
     often used in profile scripts.

_n_u_m_b_e_r
     Start  at  message  _n_u_m_b_e_r rather  than  at  the  message recorded  in
     $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc.  If _n_u_m_b_e_r is greater than zero, then start with that
     message;  if _n_u_m_b_e_r  is  less than  zero, then  begin _n_u_m_b_e_r  messages
     before the one recorded in $(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc.

_F_i_l_e_s
/uussrr/ssppooooll/mmaaiill/mmssggss -- Mail messages file
/uussrr/mmssggss/[11-99]* -- Data base
/uussrr/mmssggss/bboouunnddss -- File that contains message number bounds
$(HHOOMMEE)/.mmssggssrrcc -- Number of next message to be presented

_S_e_e _A_l_s_o
ccoommmmaannddss, mmaaiill, PPAAGGEERR, ssccaatt
