on Fri, 5
Dec 2008 11:42:44 -0800
> > While people are on this topic, I'll ask a question again in case anyone
> > new here knows the answer (I asked long ago): I know that the mail
> > files are of a common format, but does anyone know where to find a
> > definition of the mail file format, perhaps in the source code of one of
> > the open source mail and news readers ?
>
> Robert Blair replied:
> > I think we need more information. What email client are you
> > referring to?
>
> Thunderbird -- both Wxx and OS/2 / eCS versions.
>
> > Each email client stores its email in a different way. Although
> > they may save the email in very similar ways they all do not do it
> > in exactly the same way. .....
>
> Rats! That was not what I had understood. I was under the impression
> that all the NetScape/Mozzilla news/mail readers used essentially
> the same format. Still, I hope that there is enough commonality
> among those that I could write a program to merge 2 (or several) mail
> boxes worth of mail/news into one.
I would not count on them being 100% compatible. If you are going from
NetScape/Mozzilla to Thunderbird/Seamonkey you may be able to just copy the
files. I would do some testing before trying to use them so you don't lose any
data.
> > ..... The email client I use saves the email
> > exactly as received, each email in its own file. .....
>
> Ha! That's what I would have done, thinking back to OS/360/370/...
> partitioned data sets.
Yeh, the good old days.
> > ...... Others do some
> > editing especially with regards to attachments and some make some
> > changes (sometimes sufficient changes to the headers) and some store
> > all the email in large files with separators for each email.
>
> Oh bother! Thunderbird (&c.?) puts all the e-mail/postings in of one
> mailbox/newsgroup in one file.
Yes.
> > If you want to know the format of email while it is being
> > transmitted look at RFC5321 and 5322.
>
> ??? RFC ???
"Request For Comment" once an RFC is approved it becomes the standard for the
internet for whatever it is describing.
The description for how email is formatted and shipped from computer to
computer is described in RFC5321 and 5322. There are older (now obsolete) RFCs
but these are the current.
--
Robert Blair
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