from(1b) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
On Solnix, from is the illumos BSD-compatibility command at /usr/ucb/from. It prints the mail header lines of your mailbox, optionally for one sender. It has only -s: the -f (alternate file) option found on all three BSDs and the -c (count) option on FreeBSD are missing.
The manual pages
- Solnix: from(1b) from
pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man· illumos.org - FreeBSD: from(1) 15.1-RELEASE
- OpenBSD: from(1) 8.0
- NetBSD: from(1) 11.0
What Solnix runs
A default Solnix system runs the illumos from at /usr/ucb/from, which is the section 1B (BSD compatibility) page. It is not in /usr/bin. No other variants are shipped. The page does not say whether /usr/ucb is on the default PATH.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | -f file missing | Solnix from has no -f option, so it cannot read an arbitrary mbox file. FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD from -f file examines that file instead of the invoker's mailbox. Scripts using from -f fail on Solnix.Source: Solnix from(1B) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; FreeBSD from(1) -f; OpenBSD from(1) -f; NetBSD from(1) -f |
| FreeBSD | -c count missing | Solnix from has no -c. FreeBSD from -c prints only a count of messages and exits.Source: Solnix from(1B) OPTIONS; FreeBSD from(1) -c |
| FreeBSD | reading from standard input | FreeBSD from -f - reads standard input. Solnix has no -f, and the page documents no way to read a stream.Source: FreeBSD from(1) -f; Solnix from(1B) SYNOPSIS |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD | MAIL environment variable | FreeBSD and OpenBSD from use MAIL as the mailbox location if it is set; FreeBSD otherwise uses the default in /var/mail. OpenBSD also lists LOGNAME and USER. The Solnix page documents no environment variables and no mailbox path.Source: FreeBSD from(1) ENVIRONMENT; OpenBSD from(1) ENVIRONMENT; Solnix from(1B) (no ENVIRONMENT section) |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | -s matching | The BSD pages say -s prints mail from addresses containing the given string. The Solnix page says only that headers for mail sent by sender are displayed, and does not say whether this is a substring match.Source: Solnix from(1B) -s; FreeBSD from(1) -s; OpenBSD from(1) -s; NetBSD from(1) -s |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | privileges for another user's mailbox | The BSD pages state that reading another user's mailbox needs privileges. The Solnix page documents the username argument but says nothing about privileges. Source: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD from(1) DESCRIPTION; Solnix from(1B) DESCRIPTION |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | large files | The Solnix page refers to largefile(7) for behaviour on mailboxes of 2 Gbyte or more. The BSD pages say nothing about large files. Source: Solnix from(1B) USAGE; FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD from(1) |
| Linux | no Linux counterpart | The bundle contains no Linux from(1) page, so no comparison with Linux is made. Do not assume from is installed there. Source: Bundle header lists only FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD counterparts |
Standards
- POSIX: from is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- FreeBSD: HISTORY: the from command appeared in 3.0BSD.
- OpenBSD: HISTORY: the from command appeared in 2BSD.
- NetBSD: HISTORY: the from command appeared in 3.0BSD.
Writing portable scripts
- Use only 'from [
-ssender] [user]' in portable scripts. Avoid-fand-c, which are missing on Solnix. - To count or filter messages portably, do not rely on from. The Solnix page documents no count option or alternate-file option.
Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.