Why does command i open mail

A classic question!

In the old days of Unix and Unix-like systems, the mail command was a simple program that allowed users to read and send electronic mail. When you typed mail at the command prompt, it would open the mail program and display your mailbox.

The reason mail was associated with the "I" key is due to the way the mail program was designed. In the early days of Unix, the mail program was a simple text-based interface that used a command-line interface to interact with the user. The program would display a list of messages in your mailbox, and you could use various commands to navigate and manage your mail.

One of the most common commands was "i" (short for "index"), which would display the list of messages in your mailbox. When you typed "i", the program would show you a list of messages, along with their subjects, dates, and other relevant information. This allowed you to quickly scan your mailbox and select a message to read or respond to.

Over time, the mail command became a standard part of many Unix-like systems, including Linux and macOS. Even though modern mail clients like Gmail, Outlook, and Thunderbird have replaced the traditional mail command, the association between mail and the "I" key has stuck.

So, to answer your question, command i opens mail because the "i" key was a common command in the original mail program, and the association has been carried forward to this day.