WRITE(1) INTERACTIVE UNIX System WRITE(1)
NAME
write - write to another user
SYNOPSIS
write user [ line ]
DESCRIPTION
The write command copies lines from your terminal to that of
another user. When first called, it sends the message:
Message from yourname (tty??) [ date ]...
to the person you want to talk to. When it has successfully
completed the connection, it also sends two bells to your
own terminal to indicate that what you are typing is being
sent.
The recipient of the message should write back at this
point. Communication continues until an end of file is read
from the terminal, an interrupt is sent, or the recipient
has executed mesg n. At that point, write writes EOT on the
other terminal and exits.
If you want to write to a user who is logged in more than
once, the line argument may be used to indicate which line
or terminal to send to (e.g., tty00); otherwise, the first
writable instance of the user found in /etc/utmp is assumed
and the following message posted:
user is logged on more than one place.
You are connected to "terminal".
Other locations are:
terminal
Permission to write may be denied or granted by use of the
mesg(1) command. Writing to others is normally allowed by
default. Certain commands, such as pr(1), disallow messages
in order to prevent interference with their output. How-
ever, if the user has super-user permissions, messages can
be forced onto a write-inhibited terminal.
If the character ! is found at the beginning of a line,
write calls the shell to execute the rest of the line as a
command.
The following protocol is suggested for using write: When
you first write to another user, wait for them to write back
before starting to send. Each person should end a message
with a distinctive signal [i.e., (o) for ``over''] so that
the other person knows when to reply. The signal (oo) (for
``over and out'') is suggested when conversation is to be
terminated.
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WRITE(1) INTERACTIVE UNIX System WRITE(1)
FILES
/etc/utmp
to find user
/bin/sh to execute !
SEE ALSO
mail(1), mesg(1), pr(1), sh(1), who(1).
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WRITE(1) INTERACTIVE UNIX System WRITE(1)
DIAGNOSTICS
``user is not logged on'' if the person you are trying to
write to is not logged on.
``Permission denied'' if the person you are trying to write
to denies that permission (with mesg).
``Warning: cannot respond, set mesg -y'' if your terminal is
set to mesg n and the recipient cannot respond to
you.
``Can no longer write to user'' if the recipient has denied
permission (mesg n) after you had started writing.
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