MHonArc FAQ: General Information

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## General

- What is MHonArc?
- What's the latest version of MhonArc?
- Where can I get MHonArc?
- What restrictions are there on MHonArc usage?
- Where can I get help on MHonArc?
- How does MHonArc compare to other email archivers, like Hypermail?
- Why I should use MHonArc over some of the Internet-based mailing list archive services?
- Are their "real-world" examples of MHonArc usage?
- Why are list archives about Perl-related topics not maintained with a Perl-based program, like MHonArc?
- Is MHonArc Y2K (Year 2000) compliant?

| ### What is MHonArc?

MHonArc is a Perl program for converting e-mail messages as specified in RFC 822 and the MIME standard to HTML. MHonArc can perform the following tasks:

- Convert MH mail folders or UUCP/Unix style mailboxes into an HTML mail archive.
- Add or remove messages to an existing HTML mail archive generated by MHonArc.
- Convert a single message to HTML.

Along with these tasks, MHonArc provides the following:

- A main customizable index for mail messages archived.
- A customizable thread index listing messages by thread.
- Control over message formatting.
- The ability to hook in your own custom message filters.
- And other things to numerous to mention here.

| ### What's the latest version of MhonArc?

2.5.0

| ### Where can I get MHonArc?

The latest information on MHonArc, and its availability, may be obtained at <http://www.mhonarc.org/>.

MHonArc requires Perl to run. If you do not have Perl, it can be obtained from <http://www.perl.com/>.

| ### What restrictions are there on MHonArc usage?

MHonArc is free software. MHonArc is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). A copy of the license is included in the distribution. Please read it for more information, or go to <http://www.gnu.org/>. Note, that the word "free" means something different than "no cost". See the GPL and <http://www.gnu.org/> for more information.

Note, donations are welcome. And will help insure the continued development of MHonArc.

If you do not feel comfortable with the current licensing of MHonArc, GPL, then contact the developer of MHonArc if you want to make alternate licensing arrangements.

NOTE | MHonArc is NOT in the public domain. Any mention of MHonArc in the public domain is WRONG. Applicable copyrights still apply.

| ### Where can I get help on MHonArc?

The first place to try is the documentation that comes with MHonArc. The documentation is quite extensive, and may provide answers to most of your questions.

Second, you can read this FAQ.

Third, a mailing list, mhonarc@ncsa.uiuc.edu, is available to provide a discussion forum on the usage and development of MHonArc. Appropriate topics for the list include: usage questions, bug reports, behavioral enhancements, documentation bugs, and general help.

To subscribe to the mailing list, send mail to mhonarc-request@ncsa.uiuc.edu with the command,

    subscribe

as the message body.

If you send mail mhonarc@ncsa.uiuc.edu, your message will be distributed to all subscribers on the list.

NOTE | The mailing list is restricted to subscribers only. Any non-subscriber message sent to the list is manually filtered. Due to the nature of manual filtering, non-subscriber messages may have long delays before getting distributed to all subscribers. ABSOLUTELY NO SPAM IS TOLERATED. Any spam is happily redirected to /dev/null.

The mailing list is archived by Majordomo. You can also use the WWW to access the archive (with full text search using Glimpse) at <http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/>. An alternative web archive of the mailing list is at <http://www.mail-archive.com/mhonarc@ncsa.uiuc.edu/>.

| ### How does MHonArc compare to other email archivers, like Hypermail?

Hypermail is probably the only other major free program (distributed under the GPL) for archiving e-mail on the Web. There are other free programs available, but Hypermail and MHonArc appear to be the two major programs in use.

The best comparison that can be made is by yourself, since the choosing between which tool to use will depend on your needs. The following is a brief list of some of the advantages of MHonArc over Hypermail:

NOTE | If you notice any errors regarding the information related to Hypermail, please contact the FAQ maintainer.

- Support variant mail folders types. Hypermail supports only UUCP-style mailboxes.

- MHonArc has fairly robust MIME support, including the ability to extend the list of media-types supported. Hypermail is supposed to have some some support for MIME, but it still appears to be a work in progress.

- Page customization. MHonArc gives you complete control on how pages are formatted. Hypermail has some page customization features, but not at the level of MHonArc's. With MHonArc, you can create archives with frame navigation or incorporate JavaScript to provided more sophisticated archives.

- Multi-platform support. MHonArc basically runs on any system that Perl runs. Hypermail is only known to run on Unix systems, however, there may be a WinNT port.

- Single message conversion. MHonArc can be used to convert a message to HTML independent of archive processing. Hence, MHonArc can be used as general MIME decoder.

The other major difference is that MHonArc is written in Perl, and Hypermail is written in C. There are pros and cons of both languages. In sum, Perl allows for easier modification, portability, and extensiblility. C provides better execution speed.

There are other differences, so consult the documentation of both programs to get a more complete list. Your needs willl ultimately decide which program is best for you.

For some time, there was a lack of development on Hypermail. However, there is currently a maintainer. Information about Hypermail can be obtained from <http://www.landfield.com/hypermail/>.

| ### Why I should use MHonArc over some of the Internet-based mailing list archive services?

The exact "why" depends on your needs. Here are some possible reasons why you may want to use MHonArc over Internet-based mailing list archive services:

- MHonArc is free software. Internet services may charge a fee and/or include commercial advertisements in your list archives.
- With MHonArc, you have complete control on how your archive looks and feel, and operates. This can be important if you want your archives to follow a specific style, and/or you need the option to be able to change how your archives function over time.
- You have mailing lists that are behind a firewall. Therefore, an Internet based service is not an option.
- You just need something for personal use.

Note, there is a nice Internet-based mailing list archive service that is available at no charge, and it uses MHonArc and the htDig search engine. See <http://www.mail-archive.com/> for more information.

| ### Are their "real-world" examples of MHonArc usage?

Take your pick:

- WWW Mailing List Archives & References:
  <http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/>
- The Mail Archive:
  <http://www.mail-archive.com/>
- Mallorn Archived Email Lists:
  <http://www.mallorn.com/lists/>
- FreeLists:
  <http://www.freelists.org/>
- Majordomo Users Mailing List Interface:
  <http://www.hpc.uh.edu/majordomo-users>
- Sourceware.cygnus.com Mailing Lists:
  <http://sourceware.cygnus.com/ml/>
- Liblicense-L List Archives:
  <http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/ListArchives/>
- FVWM Archives:
  <http://www.hpc.uh.edu/fvwm/archive/>
- Lists Archived at Kanga.Nu:
  <http://www.kanga.nu/archives/>
- Apsfilter Archives:
  <http://www.apsfilter.org/Lists-Archives/>
- Giant Java Tree Archives:
  <http://www.git.org/servlets/MailingLists/ListOfLists.html>

| ### Why are list archives about Perl-related topics not maintained with a Perl-based program, like MHonArc?

The answer is something I would like to know myself.

| ### Is MHonArc Y2K (Year 2000) compliant?

There is no known Y2K issues with the current release of MHonArc. Message dates are translated to Unix time(2) format which are currently valid until 2038. If MHonArc is still in use by then, I would be amazed.

There has been no official Y2K certification of MHonArc. Since MHonArc is free software, I see noone paying the money for certification. Hence, do not go looking for someone to sue if something breaks.

You may want to check <http://language.perl.com/news/y2k.html> about Y2K from a Perl point-of-view.

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