Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sjuvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!houxm!mhuxl!mhuxm!mhuxr!mhuxt!mhuxv!akgua!sb1!sb6!bpa!burdvax!sjuvax!bbanerje
From: bbanerje@sjuvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news.config,att.news
Subject: Re: Responses to netnews articles mailed from 'vnews' lost!
Message-ID: <165@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Feb-84 19:42:58 EST
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.165
Posted: Tue Feb 14 19:42:58 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Feb-84 05:36:48 EST
References: <548@ihnp4.UUCP>
Organization: Saint Josephs Univ. Phila., Pa.
Lines: 35

>> We have just discovered that our version of vnews has been quietly
>> throwing away ALL replies - i.e., the 'r' command is broken.  The
>> observed action is that an 'r' command puts you in your EDITOR, you
>> enter your reply, and on exiting, vnews continues as expected - and as
>> though the reply you just composed had been sent.  It instead never even
>> made it to /bin/mail.
>> 
>> This condition has presumably been in effect for several months, and
>> (apparently) applies to all netnews sites at Bell Labs' Indian Hill and
>> Short Hills locations (about 80 sites - ih*, iw*, ix*, and hl*).
>> 
>> Since we have not yet tracked down the cause of this misbehavior, we
>> don't know if it is a purely local bug or not.  We encourage all other
>> sites running 'vnews' to confirm that their replies are indeed being
>> sent.

We had the same problem.  I finally fixed it, though I don't know
why the fix worked.  Try changing the '(' parentheses to '{' parentheses
in the 'reply' and 'follow' shells.  This of course applies to the
matching braces as well.

The '(' serves to fork a sub-shell while the '{' merely groups the
commands.  If this doesn't work, check to see if you are using the
correct version of recmail.  The one that comes with the news 
distribution doesn't work.  You have to use the one that came with
vnews.

I would have replied by mail, but I am interested in whether anyone
out there has the answers as to why the parentheses should be 
important.  I crave the indulgence of those who read this group.
-- 


				Binayak Banerjee
		{allegra | astrovax | bpa | burdvax}!sjuvax!bbanerje