@(#)README for pop3 client pop3.

POP3-client according rfc1725.

There is no man-page cause I hope to get the program 'smex' finished soon. :-)

By default this program is non-interactive, it tries to get your
mail from your mailserver and delivers it on local host to <user>.
Therefore it looks in a file '$HOME/.poprc' to find a 
mailserver entry.
If there is a <host> specified in the commandline it tries to get
your mail form there. The auto-login procedure is similiar to
'ftp' - I used ftp-code for this program :-) - there should be 
entries in the file '$HOME/.poprc'.

If the '-i' (interactive) option is set in the commandline
pop3 enters implicit interactive mode; and stdin is a tty verbose 
gets default. If stdin is no tty it enters script mode (verbose is off).

The file $HOME/.poprc for login on remote-host.
So specify an entry for your mailserver there:
mailserver <hostname>
	name <user-name>
	password <passwd>
	login <user> <secret>

The syntax is the same like in ftp's '.netrc', see ftp(1). The keywords are
slightely different:
'name' and 'passwd' are your name and password on the remote host.
The alternative keyword 'login' has two arguments: <user> and <secret>
and is used if the sever (popd on remote host) knows about the
new authentication method 'APOP' (md5 digest) as described in rfc1725.
Ask your provider / postmaster of your mailserver for using this
method (it is much safer, because no password goes readable through
the net.

Running pop3 non-intercative the <host> mailserver gets used if you 
don't specify a host on the commandline. More hosts with auto-login
can be added in '.poprc' with the keyword 'machine':
machine <host>
	name <user-name>
	password <passwd>
	login <user> <secret>

The file '$HOME/.poprc' is rejected by pop3 if it is read or writeable for
anyone except you! (It should be mode 0600: -rw-------)

To install pop3 see the 'Makefile', too:
Create a directory '/var/spool/pop', read and writeable for root and group
mail at least: 0770, drwxrwx--- root.mail
Create a directory '/var/spool/pop/spool', read and writeable for root and 
group mail at least: 0770, drwxrwx--- root.mail
Copy pop3 in any $PATH directory (/usr/bin or usr/ucb e.g.),
change it's owner to 'root.mail' and make it setid/setgid: mode 6755.
The last step is to make a symbolic link from your favourite mail-deliver-
program to '/usr/bin/delivermail'.

Of course you can change all the hard-built-in pathnames in the file
'pathnames.h' before recompiling.  
The source should compile in every UNIX, LINUX etc. environment
without changes (see pathnames.h) - of course on Atari-MiNT
machines too (written there!).


Some words on the commandline options:
Syntax:
	pop3 [options] [host]
host:
	The host you want a connection to.
options:
	-d	debug
	-v	verbose
	-h	help
	-i	interactive
	-b	bell (see commands)
	-nologin	do not auto-login (specified or default host)
	-nodeliver	do not deliver the received mails when exiting
	-nodelete	do not mark recevied mails for deletion on remote
			  host.
	-onlydeliver	no connection, but deliver the mails received
			  in the last session(s).
	-t <name>	to whom to deliver the mails - default is the
			  user who runs pop3.
	-Dcmd <cmd>	use program <cmd> for delivery.

The commands in interactive mode:
They may be written to a file (one per line) and used as stdin
replacement when running pop3 with option '-i'!

The command 'help' will show you some help page like this:
------
Commands may be abbreviated.  Commands are:

#apop		#delete		#host		 quit		#uidl
 autodeliver	 deliver	#last		#reset		#user
 bell		#disconnect	#list		#retrieve	 verbose
 bye		#dropmails	 open		 show		 ?
#close		#get		 printlist	#status
 debug		 help		 queuedeliver	#top

'*': not implemented; '#': not in current status
-------

A short description with optional or required arguments is displayed
with 'help <cmd>'.

Do not use the commands 'host' and 'last', for they are out of date.
They are only here for backward compatibility, and should be disabled
in the source code by default.

If you need more documentation for this program ask your friends,
your postaster, your provider, or me to write a man page.


jerry@zedat.fu-berlin.de (official release of pop3: Jan/Mar 1996)

