mailbox

1. messaging A file belonging to a particular user on a

particular computer in which received electronic mail

messages are stored ready for the user to read them. A

mailbox may be just an electronic mail address to which

messages are sent and may not actually correspond to a file if

the messages are processed automatically, e.g. a mail server

or mailing list.

2. programming A destination for interprocess messages in a

message passing system. A mailbox is a message queue,

usually stored in the memory of the processor on which the

receiving process is running. Primitives are provided for

sending a message to a named mailbox and for reading messages

from a mailbox.

(1994-10-20)