[Info-vax] MAIL> SET PERSONAL_NAME

[Michael Moroney]

On 9/1/2022 2:50 PM, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) wrote:
> In article <teqn45$1kgv$1 at gioia.aioe.org>,
> helbig at asclothestro.multivax.de (Phillip Helbig (undress to reply))
> writes:
> 
>> In constrast to the logical name TCPIP$SMTP_FROM, there is no way to
>> define PERSONAL_NAME other than from within MAIL itself, right?
>>
>> It seems to work like this: Once defined, that is the value for any MAIL
>> command.  However, if (re)defined at the MAIL prompt, mail sent from
>> that session will get the new value and keep it until MAIL is exited,
>> regardless of what is (re)defined elsewhere.  However, that
>> (re)definition affects NEW invocations of MAIL.
> 
>  From HELP:
> 
>           You must begin the string with an alphabetic
>           character and avoid two consecutive embedded spaces within the
>           string.
> 
> Any ideas about the reasons for such restrictions?

I believe it was for compatibility with other mail systems around when 
VMS Mail mattered. The double space may have been for NMAIL, an internal 
to Digital mail tool to retry when the remote node is down (like what 
every modern mail system already does)

I made my NOTES personal name (with the same restrictions) start with a 
non-alphabetic character several times by hacking my notes$notebook.note 
file. Didn't seem to cause any problems.