Re: bin/59951: mailx(1) misparses mbox of git patches

[Steffen Nurpmeso <steffen%sdaoden.eu@localhost>]

Michael van Elst via gnats wrote in
 <20260130114002.BDFE11A923E%mollari.NetBSD.org@localhost>:
 |The following reply was made to PR bin/59951; it has been noted by GNATS.
 |
 |From: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)
 |To: gnats-bugs%netbsd.org@localhost
 |Cc: 
 |Subject: Re: bin/59951: mailx(1) misparses mbox of git patches
 |Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:36:40 -0000 (UTC)
 |
 | gnats-admin%NetBSD.org@localhost ("uwe%stderr.spb.ru@localhost via gnats") writes:
 | 
 |>mailx seems to mis-parse a mbox file that is obtained from cat'ting
 |>together several git patches.  mutt correctly parses the same mbox.
 | 
 | When the mbox file format was invented, there was no specification.
 | So it's a bit difficult to say what is "correctly parsing".
 | 
 | Since 2005 there is RFC 4155 that tries to specify a "default" mbox
 | database format. It demands that a message is preceded by the
 | separator line (matching /^From /) and is followed by an empty
 | line.

There was POSIX in i think 1988, and the very influential
Bernstein not only invented Maildir, but also had a manual on mbox
in 1996.  (Already there there is the empty line.)
Other than that it is a mess.

 | With a proper empty line ending each message, mail(1) does parse
 | such a "default" mbox format correctly.
 | 
 | N.B. procmail/formail also "fails" to understand an mbox without
 | ending empty lines.
 --End of <20260130114002.BDFE11A923E%mollari.NetBSD.org@localhost>

--steffen
|
|Der Kragenbaer,                The moon bear,
|der holt sich munter           he cheerfully and one by one
|einen nach dem anderen runter  wa.ks himself off
|(By Robert Gernhardt)