xbiff

xbiff [ -option ... ]

-display host:dpy
    Specifies the X server to contact.

-geometry geom
    Specifies the initial size and location of the xbiff window.

-file filename
    Specifies the path to the mailbox file to be monitored. The default is usually /var/mail/$USER or the value of the $MAIL environment variable.

-update seconds
    Specifies the frequency, in seconds, at which xbiff should check the mail file for changes. The default is 5 seconds.

-font fontname
    Specifies the font to be used for displaying the number of new messages, if enabled via X resources.

-xrm resourcestring
    Specifies a resource string to be merged with the application's resources.

Standard X Toolkit Options
    xbiff supports many standard X Toolkit command line options, such as -bg (background color), -fg (foreground color), -bw (border width), -bd (border color), -name (application name), and -title (window title).

xbiff is an X Window System client that visually notifies the user of the arrival of new mail. It typically displays a small mailbox icon on the desktop. When new mail arrives in the monitored mailbox file, the flag on the mailbox icon goes up, and optionally, an audible bell is rung. This provides an immediate visual and auditory alert without requiring the user to constantly check their mail client.

Users can configure xbiff to monitor a specific mail file and define the polling interval. It's often set up to automatically launch with the X session. While simple, it's a classic utility for desktop mail alerts, especially for traditional Unix mailbox formats.

xbiff is designed primarily for monitoring traditional mbox-style mail files. It does not natively support modern mail formats like Maildir or remote protocols like IMAP/POP3. Users with such setups would need external scripts or other tools to convert or proxy mail into an mbox file that xbiff can monitor. It also requires an active X Window System environment to function.

xbiff is highly customizable through X resources. These resources, typically set in files like ~/.Xresources or ~/.Xdefaults, control aspects such as colors (mailForeground, mailBackground), the command executed when the mailbox is clicked (checkCommand, newMailCommand), whether a bell rings (onceOnly, bell), and the images used for the empty and full mailbox (emptyBox, fullBox). This allows users to deeply personalize its appearance and behavior beyond command-line options.

Clicking the xbiff mailbox icon typically executes a pre-configured command, often a mail reader. This behavior is customizable via X resources like checkCommand (executed when new mail arrives and the flag is up) and newMailCommand (executed when the flag goes up for the first time or after being dismissed). The default behavior usually involves launching a simple xterm -e mail or similar.

xbiff directly monitors a single mail file (e.g., /var/mail/$USER or /home/$USER/mail/inbox). It works by checking the size and modification timestamp of this file. If the file grows or is modified, xbiff interprets this as new mail. This simplicity is both a strength and a limitation, as it assumes a traditional mbox-style mail storage.

xbiff is a venerable utility that has been a part of the standard X Window System distribution since its early days. It originated as one of the basic tools provided for X desktops, reflecting the importance of mail notification in computing environments. It has undergone relatively few changes over its lifetime, maintaining its core functionality as a simple, reliable mail notifier. Its development is intertwined with the evolution of the X Window System itself, maintained by the X.Org Foundation.

mail(1), mailx(1), procmail(1), xset(1), xconsole(1)