diff --git a/mercurial/mail.py b/mercurial/mail.py
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mercurial/mail.py
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+# mail.py - mail sending bits for mercurial
+#
+# Copyright 2006 Matt Mackall <mpm@selenic.com>
+#
+# This software may be used and distributed according to the terms
+# of the GNU General Public License, incorporated herein by reference.
+
+from i18n import gettext as _
+from demandload import *
+demandload(globals(), "os re smtplib templater util")
+
+def _smtp(ui):
+    '''send mail using smtp.'''
+
+    local_hostname = ui.config('smtp', 'local_hostname')
+    s = smtplib.SMTP(local_hostname=local_hostname)
+    mailhost = ui.config('smtp', 'host')
+    if not mailhost:
+        raise util.Abort(_('no [smtp]host in hgrc - cannot send mail'))
+    mailport = int(ui.config('smtp', 'port', 25))
+    self.note(_('sending mail: smtp host %s, port %s\n') %
+              (mailhost, mailport))
+    s.connect(host=mailhost, port=mailport)
+    if ui.configbool('smtp', 'tls'):
+        ui.note(_('(using tls)\n'))
+        s.ehlo()
+        s.starttls()
+        s.ehlo()
+    username = ui.config('smtp', 'username')
+    password = ui.config('smtp', 'password')
+    if username and password:
+        ui.note(_('(authenticating to mail server as %s)\n') %
+                  (username))
+        s.login(username, password)
+    return s
+
+class _sendmail(object):
+    '''send mail using sendmail.'''
+
+    def __init__(self, ui, program):
+        self.ui = ui
+        self.program = program
+
+    def sendmail(self, sender, recipients, msg):
+        cmdline = '%s -f %s %s' % (
+            self.program, templater.email(sender),
+            ' '.join(map(templater.email, recipients)))
+        self.ui.note(_('sending mail: %s\n') % cmdline)
+        fp = os.popen(cmdline, 'w')
+        fp.write(msg)
+        ret = fp.close()
+        if ret:
+            raise util.Abort('%s %s' % (
+                os.path.basename(self.program.split(None, 1)[0]),
+                util.explain_exit(ret)[0]))
+
+def connect(ui):
+    '''make a mail connection. object returned has one method, sendmail.
+    call as sendmail(sender, list-of-recipients, msg).'''
+
+    method = ui.config('email', 'method', 'smtp')
+    if method == 'smtp':
+        return smtp(ui)
+
+    return sendmail(ui, method)
+
+def sendmail(ui, sender, recipients, msg):
+    return connect(ui).sendmail(sender, recipients, msg)