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+# Hypermail
+
+Version `2.3.x`
+
+* [Hypermail background](#hypermail-background)
+  * [License evolution](#license-evolution)
+  * [EIT's net.disappearance](#eits-netdisappearance)
+  * [Kevin and ongoing Hypermail development](#kevin-and-ongoing-hypermail-development)
+* [General](#general)
+* [Warning](#warning-warning)
+* [Git repository](#git-repository)
+* [CVS server](#cvs-server)
+* [Getting help](#getting-help)
+* [Additionally](#additionally)
+
+This is a release of the `2.3.x` version of hypermail.
+
+Hypermail is a program that takes a file of mail messages in UNIX mailbox
+format and generates a set of cross-referenced HTML documents.
+
+:warning: **Security warning:**
+Do not put hypermail's output anyplace where a web server might have
+server side includes (SSI) enabled unless you are sure you know what
+you are doing.
+
+:warning: **Warning:**
+There once existed a program called `mail` that came with hypermail.
+`mail` utility has not installed by default for the last two years.
+This program has been disabled because it was probably easy for spammers
+to use as an open relay. It also had problems with enabling malicious
+use of JavaScript and CRLF Injection. The `mail` utility is a historic
+reclic and will not be supplied in future versions. Its functionality
+has been replaced with a warning that anyone using it should remove it
+immediately.
+
+See the [`INSTALL`](INSTALL) file to get started. For a description of how to use it,
+see the [`hypermail.html`](docs/hypermail.html), [`hmrc.html`](docs/hmrc.html), and [`hypermail-faq.html`](docs/hypermail-faq.html) files that come
+in the [`docs/`](docs/) directory.
+Please refer to [`Changelog`](Changelog) for the list of recent changes.
+
+Hypermail is distributed under the GNU GPL license (see the file [`COPYING`](COPYING) for
+details). Some programs that are distributed with it in the archive and
+contrib directories have different licenses - check the individual files for
+details.
+
+## Hypermail background
+
+Hypermail was originally designed and developed by Tom Gruber for
+Enterprise Integration Technologies (EIT) using Common Lisp.
+
+It was later rewritten in C by Kevin Hughes in 1994 while Kevin
+worked at EIT.
+
+### License evolution
+
+In the spring of 1997, Kevin Hughes heavily pressed Hewlett-Packard
+(who was now the legal owner of Hypermail, since EIT was bought by
+VeriFone, which was bought by Hewlett-Packard) into placing a free
+software license onto his old EIT software. They officially put the
+GNU GPL license on *all* of Kevin's old EIT software, opening it up to
+more open methods of development and distribution. So now Hypermail
+is under GPL.
+
+### EIT's net.disappearance
+A very old and established government contractor company called
+Electronic Instrumentation and Technology Inc. made legal moves to
+obtain the eit.com domain. Since VeriFone/HP had no interest in keeping
+EIT, dissolved it completely. As this company had a trademark on EIT,
+the domain name was given to them. Elizabeth Batson of EIT/VeriFone/HP
+informed Kevin he could maintain all his old software himself wherever
+he wished to put it.
+
+### Kevin and ongoing Hypermail development
+
+Kevin left Hewlett-Packard in 1997 and helped form a new company
+called [Veo Systems](http://www.veosystems.com/) with his old boss Marty
+Tenenbaum, who founded EIT. Kevin did not have the time to maintain
+any of his old software, so he was looking for different parties to
+help maintain it and take over different pieces. For instance, Getstats
+has been obsoleted by [Analog](http://www.statslab.cam.ac.uk/~sret1/analog/).
+SWISH has been taken over by the [SWISH-E project](http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/SWISH-E/)
+and many people have been doing
+good things with it. April 17, 1998 Kevin passed hypermail development
+to [Kent Landfield](http://www.hypermail.org/). Kent had been
+supporting an enhanced version of hypermail he had been using for the
+last few years. It has gradually become a group effort, with [Peter McCluskey](mailto:[email protected])
+often acting as the leader during its heydays.
+Since a couple of years, it is stable and mostly unmaintained. W3C continues
+to contribute to this repository, although infrequently, sharing with the
+community enhancements and bug fixes originating from its use of
+hypermail.
+
+## General
+
+This version has been tested on the platforms listed below. If you would
+like to send portability patches or confirmation that it works on a certain
+platform, please do. There should not be toooo many changes that need to be
+made.
+
+This version of hypermail has substantial support for attachments and for
+splitting archives into subdirectories. It also allows an administrator to
+customize the header and footers to match their local needs. This allows
+you to have hypermail facilities better integrated into your web site.
+
+This version is an integration of patches that Kevin had received through
+the years, and new features through the individual efforts many people.
+This has been run through lint, Insight and Purify and has been cleaned up
+accordingly.
+
+* `archive`: general archive utilites that are useful in managing
+  list archives. Much of the functionality here has been
+  rendered obsolete by the `folder_by_date` option.
+* `contrib`: contributed hypermail relate utilities
+* `configs`: sample hypermail configuration files,
+* `docs`:    documentation and documentation support files,
+* `libcgi`:  support library for the mail utility,
+* `src`:     here's the beef,
+* `tests`:   directory for supporting local testing,
+
+## :warning: Warning
+
+Take the time to read the [`KNOWN_BUGS`](KNOWN_BUGS) file so that you are aware of
+things that might affect your use of hypermail.
+
+## GIT repository
+
+Hypermail's code base has migrated from CVS to git and after a
+residence at sourceforge, now resides at GitHub:
+
+[`https://github.com/hypermail-project/hypermail/`](https://github.com/hypermail-project/hypermail/)
+
+## CVS server
+
+The hypermail CVS repository has been retired. Hypermail's code base
+now resides at github (see above).
+
+Thanks to Ashley [M. Kirchner](mailto:[email protected]) for having
+hosted and keep alive the CVS repository during the years.
+
+## Getting help
+
+There is no active dedicated mailing list for hypermail support or
+development.
+
+Please use hypermail's github repository issue tracker for all bug
+reports, feature requests, patches, and other program-related
+things. This project is under low-maintenance priority.
+
+You can browse the old hypermail development mailing list archives
+from the historical hypermail project homepage:
+
+[`http://hypermail-project.org/`](http://hypermail-project.org/)
+
+## Additionally
+
+You'll find the image `hypermail.gif` included with the source;
+this icon is for your use in your Hypermail-related pages and links
+to them. If you are talented with graphics and would like to donate
+new icons and images to the hypermail effort, please feel free.
+
+Regular expression support is provided by the PCRE library package,
+which is open source software, written by Philip Hazel, and copyright
+by the University of Cambridge, England. See [`http://www.pcre.org/`](http://www.pcre.org/).