transform(l)

NAME
transform - transform a DEC20 or an SRI UNIX-MM mail.txt into a Unix one

SYNTAX
transform infile

DESCRIPTION
transform transforms a mail.txt format file, infile, brought over from a DEC20 or an SRI UNIX-MM mail.txt, into a file that can be read with the mm(1) program on a Unix machine. The new file is written to standard output. Typically, infile would have been brought over with the ftp(1c) program, though it could also have been transferred from a DEC20 to a floppy disk with the kermit(1c) program, and then transferred to a Unix machine using kermit again.

The transform program is necessary because end of line on a DEC20 is stored as a carriage return and a line feed, whereas on a Unix machine it is just a linefeed. mail.txt format counts on having an internal byte count for each message. ftp(1c) and kermit(1c) remove the carriage returns when transferring files to the Unix machine (making each message shorter), but do not update the byte counts. The transform program fixes the internal byte counts.

If you have been using SRI UNIX-MM, then the byte count used by SRI MM does not equal the actual number of bytes in the text of the message. Columbia MM requires the byte count to be exact.

EXAMPLES
If you had just transferred your mail.txt from a DEC20 to a Unix machine, placing it in the file mail-20.txt in your current directory, you would type

    transform mail-20.txt > mail-unix.txt

and then you could read mail-unix.txt with mm(l).

If you have been using SRI UNIX-MM, then type:

    transform mail.txt > cmail.txt

and then you could read cmail.txt with mm(1).

SEE ALSO
mm(l), ftp(1c), kermit(1c), any consultant

BUGS
The transform program is not very robust. If the internal byte counts are not equal to or less than the actual byte count of the message plus the number of lines in the message, transform will stop outputting messages after the offending one. However, all previous messages will be sent to stdout.

For example, if you edit a mail file and remove several lines from the second message, then try to transform it, output will stop after the first message.