Mail Software Terminology

[Janice Gelb <janiceg -at- MARVIN -dot- ENG -dot- SUN -dot- COM>]

Folks:

Our group just started editing documentation dealing with
mail server software and we're trying to find out if there
is any industry standard (foolish, aren't we?) for the term
"inbox," meaning the primary mailbox in which the network
user receives mail. We've seen it both upper- and lowercase,
hyphenated and set solid, from our various writers, and it's
not used in the GUI so that's no help.

The arguments from the editors on each side of the style
issue are:

* Capitalize it because it's a specific type of mailbox, and
each user only has one

* Lowercase it because it is just a generic type of "mailbox"

Any answers from reference books or definitive industry sources
would be much appreciated.

-- Janice

P.S. I get the list in digest form every morning so if it's not
too much trouble, please email your response as well as posting
it if you think this is of general interest to the list.

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Janice Gelb                  | The only connection Sun has with this
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