In Unix, how can I tell if the recipient of my mail message has read it yet?

In Unix, depending upon the email system you and your correspondent use, it may or may not be possible to tell if the recipient of a mail message has read it yet. Few email systems offer explicit information about whether or not a recipient has read a message. If your correspondent uses a LAN-based email system, such as Pegasus, it may be impossible to determine if your correspondent has read your message.

If you and your correspondent use a Unix system for email, the finger command may be able to tell you when people last logged in and if they have new mail. For example, at the Unix shell prompt, enter: finger username@host Replace username with your correspondent's username, and replace host with your correspondent's host computer.

The results of the finger command vary among different Unix installations, but on some, the command reveals when a person last logged into that computer. It may also reveal whether there is new mail in that account.

If your correspondent uses a POP mail system, such as Eudora or Pegasus for Windows, the finger command may reveal whether mail has been retrieved from the host computer, but will not indicate whether the individual has actually read the message.

For more information on the finger command, at the Unix prompt, enter: man finger If you and your correspondent use the same computer for email, you might try the Unix command last. It shows when someone last logged in. At the Unix shell prompt, enter: last -1 username Replace username with your correspondent's username. Note that this command will only show you the last time that the user you are checking logged into the workstation on which you enter the command.

For more information on the last command, at the Unix prompt, enter: man last

Alternatively, if your correspondent maintains a mailbox on the same machine as you, to determine whether your message has been read, at the Unix prompt, enter: ls -lu /var/mail/username Replace username with your correspondent's username.

At Indiana University, for personal or departmental Linux or Unix systems support, see At IU, how do I get support for Linux or Unix?

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