1WRITE(1)                    General Commands Manual                   WRITE(1)
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NAME

6       write  -  write to another user
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SYNOPSIS

9       write user [ ttyname ]
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DESCRIPTION

12       Write  copies  lines  from your terminal to that of another user.  When
13       first called, it sends the message
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15            Message from yourname yourttyname...
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17       The recipient of the message should write back at this point.  Communi‐
18       cation  continues  until an end of file is read from the terminal or an
19       interrupt is sent.  At that point write writes `EOT' on the other  ter‐
20       minal and exits.
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22       If  you  want  to  write to a user who is logged in more than once, the
23       ttyname argument may be used to indicate the appropriate terminal name.
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25       Permission to write may be denied or granted by use of  the  mesg  com‐
26       mand.  At the outset writing is allowed.  Certain commands, in particu‐
27       lar nroff and pr(1) disallow messages in order to prevent messy output.
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29       If the character `!' is found at the beginning of a line,  write  calls
30       the shell to execute the rest of the line as a command.
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32       The  following  protocol  is  suggested for using write: when you first
33       write to another user, wait for him to write back  before  starting  to
34       send.  Each party should end each message with a distinctive signal—(o)
35       for `over' is conventional—that the other may reply.   (oo)  for  `over
36       and out' is suggested when conversation is about to be terminated.
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FILES

39       /etc/utmp to find user
40       /bin/sh        to execute `!'
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SEE ALSO

43       mesg(1), who(1), mail(1)
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