THE COMPLETE GUIDE
TO THE WELL
(WHOLE EARTH LECTRONIC LINK)
Written by Mick Winter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Why the WELL?
How much is it?
WELL etiquette
Hints on using this manual and The WELL
Logging on to The WELL (including UNINET)
Pacific Telephone packet-switching network
Helpful Hint: Bailing out of whatever you're doing
Logging off
General information
Changing your password
Viewing one screen at a time
If you accidentally logged on in uppercase
Checking your storage space
Checking your bill
Getting help
Conferences
Finding out current conferences
Current conference list
Conference hosts
Going to a conference
Seeing the name of the conference you're currently in
Participating in a conference
Topics and Responses
Browsing topics
Searching topic headers for a certain word or phrase
Searching topics and responses for a certain word or phrase
Seeing topics
Skipping topics
Seeing responses
Seeing responses over a period of time
Responding to topics
Entering topics
Practicing entering topics and responses
Pseudonyms
Mail
Receiving mail
Reading mail
Responding to mail
Deleting mail you've read
Sending mail
Sending mail with headers
Finding out someone's userid
If you send mail to a non-person
Seeing mail that's been stored in your mailbox
Making your mailbox private
Sending mail you've already prepared with a word processor
Secret mail
Online mail help
Chat
If somebody wants to chat with you
Send
How one chatter knows when the other chatter is done
Online chat help
Group chat
WELL user information
Finding out who is registered on The WELL
Finding out who is a participant in a conference
Checking on a particular person's conference participation
Finding biographical information on a particular WELL user
Changing your biographical "finger file"
Editing
Creating a file named "newfile"
Editing "newfile"
Uploading and downloading files with XModem
Other networks
USENET
UUCP
Quick Command Cards
Options at Ok: prompt
Options at Respond or pass? prompt
Questions & Answers
Advanced Features
Making your own conference scanner (.cflist)
Using a .profile file
Using a .cfonce file
Using a .cfrc file
Changing how a prompt appears
Moving files around
Seeing what's in your private file directory
Placing restrictions on files you've created
Advanced Conference Commands
Calendar
Display
Display seen
Last
Print
Set
Unix
Macros
Defining Macros
Creating a macro which lets you see which conferences you
haven't visited lately
Well Command List
Unix Command List
INTRODUCTION
The WELL is a low-cost, computerized conferencing system centered
in the San Francisco Bay Area with international access through
UNINET. The system runs on a VAX minicomputer with a capacity of
40 phone ports at the offices of the Whole Earth Catalog and
Whole Earth Review in Sausalito. The service is co-developed
with NETI (Network Technologies, International), of Ann Arbor,
Michigan.
The WELL includes private electronic mail, computerized
public and private conferencing, storage of files, and online
"chat."
With electronic mail, users can instantly transmit information to
one another without fear of a busy signal or the other
frustrations of "telephone tag." A special "secret mail" option
lets you ensure the security of your messages.
Conferences cover a rapidly growing variety of subjects -- online
computer user groups, movie reviews, local politics, national
politics, science fiction, stock market, local gardening,
spirituality, business, even The WELL itself.
Groups can establish private conferences to which only group members
and authorized guests have access. There is no extra charge for this
service.
"Chat" lets you talk to any other person online at the same time
you are. You can also use a public "group chat" with more than
two people.
WHY THE WELL?
Many people have been exposed to, and moved by, the Whole Earth
Catalog "experience". Most of these people have no prior
computer experience. The people at The WELL believe it can be
the influence that brings this large non-computing WEC population
and their talents and resources into the telecommunications
universe.
HOW MUCH IS IT?
The WELL costs $8 per month plus $3 per hour. There is no charge
for disk storage up to 256K bytes. Above that there is a monthly
charge of $1 per 10K. This charge is based on a daily average of
storage in your home directory.
These charges are billed monthly to the user's credit card --
MasterCard or Visa. Pacific Telephone's access charges appear on
your regular phone bill. If you reach the WELL through UNINET,
those charges will appear as WELL charges on your credit card
bill.
WELL ETIQUETTE
_________________________________________________________
| |
| **** NOTICE **** |
| |
| As a user of the WELL, |
| you own the words you write. |
| |
| That means you are the publisher. You take |
| responsibility for their content, and no one may |
| reuse them without your permission. |
| |
| Hosts of conferences, in the community interest, |
| may delete a comment but may not amend it. |
| |
| Hosts are also empowered, under duress, to ban a |
| nuisance member from their conference. |
| Nevertheless, because hosts are not always |
| "present", or necessarily knowledgeable, they |
| cannot be held responsible for damaging comments |
| that appear in their conferences. Responsibility |
| rests with the writer. |
| |
|________________________________________________________|
The WELL is a community of people which functions on mutual
respect and cooperation. Computer conferencing is a totally
different medium from FTF (face-to-face) communication. The
facial expressions, tones of voice, and other nuances we use in
live conversations are totally lost on The WELL.
All that travels over the phone lines is words. Please pay
careful attention to how you use those words. Sarcasm, for
example, doesn't travel well. Which is why people frequently use
such symbols as :-) (Look at it sideways) when they want to let
someone know that what they have just entered was meant to be
humorous.
Remember that words you might enter in a burst of inspired
passion or indignant anger will be there for you (and everyone)
to read long after your intense feelings have disappeared. This
isn't meant to discourage spontaneity and the expression of
feelings on The WELL. It's merely to remind you to be aware of
the long-term existence and effects of what you write. (Some
conferences have a special "flame" topic where members can rant
and rave to their heart's content.)
Please remember that it's safer, more polite, and more persuasive
to attack a person's comments rather than the person him/herself
when you find you disagree with what they've said.
People on The WELL generally avoid "obscene" language (no, we're
not going to try to define that here) except in conferences where
such language is acceptable - or even encouraged. There are no
rigid rules about this. Just remember we are a heterogeneous
community of individuals with varying standards.
Naturally, information on passwords for this and other systems,
credit card numbers or any other information which was gained or
can be used illegally is not allowed.
It's very helpful to make full use of the Help and Test
conferences during your first days on The WELL. Don't leave
requests for help (and complaints about The WELL) in every
conference you enter. The Help conference is for asking
questions, the Test conference for practicing entering items
and responses and editing them.
If you have any questions on what's appropriate in a particular
conference, just ask the conference host(s). All hosts are
volunteers who are very willing to help out new users on The
WELL.
HINTS ON USING THIS MANUAL AND THE WELL
Note: Whenever you log on to The WELL or give a command at a prompt
in The WELL, make sure you type the command in lowercase. Uppercase
can cause problems such as slashes interspersed throughout your
onscreen text.
When you see this: <cr> in the manual or onscreen help
information, it means "carriage return". You should press the
Return key on your computer. This key may say "return", "enter",
or simply have an arrow like this: <--'.
Example: When you see something like this:
At the prompt, type mail <cr>
It means type the word "mail" and then do a Carriage Return by
pressing the Return or Enter key.
LOGGING ON TO THE WELL (including UNINET)
If you're logging on for the first time to register with The
WELL, you'll need to have your credit card number (Visa or
MasterCard) and its expiration date available. You'll choose a
user identification (userid) and a temporary password during the
registration procedure.
1. Make sure your computer system, communications software, and
modem are properly installed and operating. For full
information, see their respective instruction manuals.
2. In the San Francisco Bay Area
Dial The WELL's Sausalito number (332-6106) or the
packet-switching number (440-1444). (More on the
packet later in this manual.)
Through UNINET (across the U.S. and in 50 countries)
Note: To reach UNINET outside the U.S., contact
your local postal, telephone, and telegraph (PTT)
administration. Tell them you want to link up
with UNINET and ask them what procedure to follow.
To find out your local UNINET number, call UNINET at
800-821-5340. Then dial the number you're given.
You'll see:
L?
(If the L? appears garbled, perhaps as XXX, just
continue. It means the network hasn't yet determined
your terminal's operating speed.)
Type <cr> period <cr>
You'll see:
uninet pad xxxxxx port yy
service:
Type well <cr>
3. When you connect with The WELL, you'll see a prompt
something like this:
Welcome to the WELL--lower case input only, please...
Type User I.D. or "newuser"
login:
4. If you are not yet registered with The WELL,
type newuser <cr>
You'll see a series of questions which lead you through
registering with The WELL.
If you have already registered with The WELL,
type youruserid <cr>.
(The userid is the identification you are given when
you register with The WELL. Make sure you use
lowercase letters.)
5. Next you'll see the password prompt password:
6. Type your password <cr>. (You are given a temporary password
when you first register with The WELL. When you type this
password, it will not appear on your screen). Make sure you
use lowercase letters.
7. If you have entered the right userid and password, you'll
see a greeting something like this:
Welcome!
You are now logged in to the WELL.
PicoSpan T3.2; designed by Marcus Watts
copyright 1984 NETI; all rights reserved
Welcome to the Entry conference
After a series of text, you'll see this prompt:
Ok:
You're now ready to begin.
PACIFIC TELEPHONE PACKET-SWITCHING NETWORK
If you live anywhere in the 415 or 408 area codes, you can reach
The WELL more cheaply through a special Pacific Telephone number.
At the time of this manual update, there was no charge for using
this number as Pacific Telephone was still beta testing this
service. In the near future, rates will be set and approved by
the Public Utilities Commission. These rates will be
considerably cheaper than current long distance rates to The
WELL's Sausalito number.
To use the packet, do the following:
1. Dial 440-1444
2. When your communications software indicates that you
have made connection, type: <cr> . <cr> (Return period
Return).
You'll then see something like this:
PPS*NET: 495 271 1444
3. Type: 4954611199 <cr>
You'll then be connected to The WELL.
***************************************************************
HELPFUL HINT: BAILING OUT OF WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING
To get out from anything, any place on The WELL, type Control-C
(hold down the Control key and press C). This will stop whatever
action you are doing or command you have given, and take you back
to whatever you were doing prior to that.
****************************************************************
LOGGING OFF
To log off The WELL, type quit at the Ok: prompt.
You'll be officially logged off. You can now disconnect your
phone or do whatever is necessary through your software to break
the connection with The WELL.
GENERAL INFORMATION
CHANGING YOUR PASSWORD
It's a good precaution to change your password occasionally,
perhaps every few months. This is to help prevent anyone else
discovering and using your password. To do this:
At Ok: type: set passwd <cr>
Type oldpassword <cr> then type newpassword <cr> (Your
new password should have 6-8 characters). Next retype
newpassword <cr> You'll return to the Ok: prompt.
Note: If you forget your password, call The WELL at (415) 332-4335
and we'll give you a new one.
VIEWING ONE SCREEN AT A TIME
The WELL is set up so that you view 24 lines at a time on your screen.
At the --More-- prompt, press <spacebar> to see the next
24 lines. (Press <cr> to see one just more line.)
If you would rather see information displayed continuously, which
you might want to do when viewing a long text file, type
nopager at the Ok: prompt.
To turn the pager back on, type define pager more
IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY LOGGED ON IN UPPERCASE
Uppercase makes The WELL do funny things, most of them
undesirable, like lots of /backslashes/
To get out of this state, at the Ok: prompt, type !stty -lcase
CHECKING YOUR STORAGE SPACE
Your monthly WELL charge entitles you to 256K of free storage
space. Excess storage space is billed at $1 per 10K.
To check how much space you're currently using, type files -l at
the Ok: prompt.
You'll see the total amount of space used, and the size of each
individual file.
To remove a file, type !rm filename
CHECKING YOUR BILL
To see your WELL connect time and charges since the beginning of
the month, type bill <cr>
GETTING HELP
For help information at any time from any prompt, type help
or ?
For help information on a specific command or topic, type
help command/topic name Example: help mail or
help conferences
For very detailed help, type !man topic
Example: !man mail
Enter your selection or [return] to display menu;
control-d to exit.
: 2
CONFERENCES
FINDING OUT CURRENT CONFERENCES ON THE WELL
To see an up-to-date list of available conferences, type
? conf (or help conferences) at the Ok: prompt.
CURRENT CONFERENCE LIST
As of this update of The WELL Manual, there were the following
conferences on The WELL:
* * * * * * * Conferences on The WELL * * * * * * *
------------------------ The real world -----------------------------
Legal (go legal) Jokes (g jokes) Politics (g pol)
Garage--autos (g gar) Music (g mus) Writers (g wri)
Medical (g med) Spirituality (g spi) Science Fiction (g sf)
Games (g game) Human Resources (g hum) Desktop Publishing (g desk)
Gardening (g gard) Photography (g pho) Education (g edu)
Movies (g mov) Sexuality (g sex) Women in Telecom (g wit)
Business (g biz) Peace (g pea) The Corner Pub (g pub)
The Examiner (g ex) Classifieds (g cla) Environment (g env)
Earthstewards (g ear) Eating (g eat) Fun (g fun)
Free U (g free) Calendar (g cal) Gay (g gay)
Curious ?'s (g que) Video (g vid) Travel (g tra)
Stock Market (g stock) Liberty (g liberty) One Person Business (g one)
Library (g lib) Management (g mana) Philosophy (g phi)
On The Air (g on) Space (g spa) Languages (g lang)
Mind (g mind) Sports (g spo) Magazine Publishing (g mag)
Parenting (g par) Psychology (g psy) Whole Earth Symposium (g wes)
Electronics (g ele) Outdoors (g out) The Future (g fut)
Success (g suc) Aging (g age) Technical Writers (g tec)
Grateful Dead (g gd) Home Repair (g rep) Art Directions (g art
Fine Arts (g fine)
-------------------------- Computers --------------------------------
IBM PC (g ibm) Amiga (g amiga) Atari (g ata)
Commodore (g com) Spreadsheets (g spr) Telecommunications (g tel)
Macintosh (g mac) Databasics (g dat) Fido (g fido)
Laptop (g lap) Programming (g prog) Hackers/Homebrew (g home)
CP/M (g cpm) Unix (g unix) BMUGSIG (g bmug)
Apple & Dtack (g app) Programmers Net (g net) Currents in the Well (g cw)
MicroPro (g mic) AI (g ai) Packet Radio (g pac)
Kaypro (g kay) Learning (g ed) Whole Earth Symposium (g wes)
Power Users (g pow) Microtimes (g microx) Computer Books (g cbook)
Forth (g for) Enable (g ena) Framework (g fra)
----------------------- The WELL Itself -----------------------------
System news (g news) Help (g help) Hosts (g hosts)
Design (g des) Manual (g manual) Entry (g ent)
CONFERENCE HOSTS
Each conference has one or two hosts who have the responsibility of
looking after the conference. A host's primary job is to keep people
on track by encouraging useful responses and at the same time
encouraging less useful discussions to move to other more appropriate
conferences. A host can also kill topics, and maintain the
greeting and farewell messages you see.
If you have a question about the conference, contact its host.
Type display fw at the conference prompt (Ok:) to see
the name of the host(s). ("fw" stands for "fair-witness", which
was an earlier term for hosts.)
GOING TO A CONFERENCE
At the Ok: prompt, type go conferencename
Example: go movie (or simply go mov)
Note: You can also type menu to use The WELL's
menu system. Menus are a slower way to use The WELL,
but are often easier for new users. Take your choice.
This manual deals only with the command system, which
does not use menus.
If it's your first time at the conference you'll see a prompt
something like this:
You are not a member of /well/confs/movie_reviews
Do you wish to:
Join, quit or help?
Type j so you become a member of the conference, and can
read and respond to all messages. If you type q you return
back to the Ok: prompt. If you type h you'll see information
on the options available to you.
After you type j you'll see a prompt that looks something
like this:
Welcome to the Movie Review Conference
1 brandnew topic
First topic 1, last 108
Your name is John Fellows in this conference.
Ok (? for help) :
The Ok: prompt is the prompt for all conferences. You can now
give any conference command. To see a list of the commands
available at the Ok: prompt, type help To see a list of
commands available throughout The WELL, type sum
SEEING THE NAME OF THE CONFERENCE YOU'RE CURRENTLY IN
Sometimes it's easy to forget which conference you're in. To find
out, type g at the Ok: prompt. You'll see the name of the
conference.
For more information, type display conference You'll see the
conference name, your participation file in that conference, how many
topics are currently in the conference, and various other information.
PARTICIPATING IN A CONFERENCE
A conference is a series of numbered topics, all related to
the general subject of the conference. Each topic has a
series of numbered responses. These are people's comments about
the topic. Any member of the conference can start a new topic or
respond to existing topics.
At the conference prompt (Ok:), you can type help to see a
list of commands (instructions you give to The WELL) available at this
prompt.
TOPICS AND RESPONSES
BROWSING TOPICS
To see only the topic headers, type b (for browse) to see
all topic headers or b n (for browse new) to see all new
topic headers in the conference.
A topic header includes the topic number, the date entered, the
author, and the subject of the topic. Browse does not show the entire
topic. Use the See command to look at the entire topic.
To see the header for a specific topic (or topics),
type b topic# (Example: b 12) (or b 1-5)
EXAMPLE:
At Ok: type b You'll see a list of topics under
discussion in this conference. It will look something like this:
item nresp header (means= Topic # Number of Responses Header)
1 12 Holy Mountain on Fri Mar 29 16:25:40 1985
2 7 They Might Be Giants on Fri Mar 29 18:32:12 1985
3 8 The Escape Artist on Sat Mar 30 21:15:00 1985
4 22 Mary Poppins on Mon Apr 1 00:30:22 1985
SEARCHING TOPIC HEADERS FOR A CERTAIN WORD OR PHRASE
To search for a particular word or phrase in the topic headers, type
b "string" (quotes are needed). String is whatever
you're looking for in the header of a topic. For example, to look for
all headers containing the word "music", type b "music"
The WELL ignores case (upper or lower) when it searches. You cannot
search for author names.
SEARCHING TOPICS AND RESPONSES FOR A CERTAIN WORD OR PHRASE
To search for a particular word, phrase, or string (sequence) of
characters
Type f (for find) <range> "string"
Example: To search for the word "duck" throughout an entire
conference, type f "duck" To search for the word "duck" in
only the first five topics, type f 1-5 "duck" You'll see
each line that contains the word "duck", and the item number,
response number, and line number where the word occurs.
SEEING TOPICS
To see all topics and responses, type s a (for see all)
(Note: This could show you thousands of topics and responses)
To see all new topics and new responses ("new" means all topics and
responses which have been entered since you were last in the
conference),
type s
To see a specific topic only, type s topic#
(Example: see 7).
To see a series of topics, type s topic# - topic#
(Example: s 1 - 5)
Note: When you go to a conference for the very first time, only
the single most recent topic is presented as new. You can then
browse the conference to see past topics.
EXAMPLE:
Type s 3 and you'll see:
Topic 3: The Escape Artist
by: Mick Winter (mick) on Sat, Mar 30, '85
3 responses so far
Next you'll see the text of the topic and then its responses,
like this:
#1 username:
[a response]
#2 another username:
[another response]
#3 another username:
[another response]
SKIPPING TOPICS
If a topic doesn't interest you, and you don't want to see future
responses to the topic, type forget at the Respond
or pass? prompt or forget topic# at the Ok: prompt.
(Example: forget 4)
From now on the topic and its responses will be passed over when you
give b (browse) or s (see) commands.
You can always "remember" the topic again later by typing
remember topic# at the Ok: prompt. Example: remember 4
You can also see a "forgotten" topic by requesting it
specifically. Example: s 4
To remember all forgotten topics in a conference, you can use an
asterisk as a "wild card". Example: remember *
SEEING RESPONSES
When you see a topic, you'll automatically see its responses.
NOTE: To get to the end of the responses for a topic without
seeing them all, press Control-C (hold down
the control key and press C).
You'll see a Respond or pass? prompt, where you have these options:
Type <cr> to pass and see the next topic
r to respond to the topic or its responses
q to go to the Ok: prompt
again to see the previous text displayed again
forget to skip this topic in the future unless you
specifically request it by number, or you
use the "remember" command to bring it back
into the normal flow of read and browse
new to make anything you just saw new again
postpone to leave the topic new and go to the next topic
response# to see that response (Example: 5)
l to see the last response
+ to see the next response
- to see the previous response
-2 to move back two responses
+3 to move forward three responses
since -32 to see all responses in the past 32 days
0 to see the initial text of the topic
only response# to see a specific response only
Note: To go from the Ok: prompt to the end of the last response
of a topic, type s topic# nor (for "no response"). Example:
s 4 nor
To see all new items in a conference without the program stopping
at the Respond or pass? prompt, type s n pass
SEEING RESPONSES OVER A PERIOD OF TIME
You can see all responses which have been made over a particular
period of time. For example, if you'd like to see responses
entered over the past 15 days, do the following at the Ok:
prompt:
1. Type seen <cr>
This makes the WELL think you've read all responses.
2. Type see all since -15 <cr>
To see all responses entered on the entire conference over
the past 15 days.
OR Type see 3 since -15 <cr>
To see all responses entered in topic 3 over the past 15
days.
OR Type see since 5/15/86 <cr>
To see all responses entered in the conference since 5/15/86
RESPONDING TO TOPICS
To respond to a topic, at the Respond or pass? prompt, type r
You'll see:
Use "." or ^D to end.
1:
Type your text.
There is no word wrap on The WELL, so you have to end each line
with <cr>. It's generally best if each line is no longer than 70
characters.
When you're finished typing your text, type a period by itself at
the beginning of a line and press <cr>, or just press Control-D.
You'll then see:
Edit command (? for help):
Type s (for send). Your response is then entered into the
topic.
ENTERING TOPICS
To enter a new topic which can be read and responded to by everyone in
the conference, at the Ok: or Respond or pass? prompt, type e
(for enter)
You'll see:
Use "." or ^D to end.
1:
Now follow the procedure previously shown for Responding to
Topics. After you've typed s for send, you'll see:
Enter a one line header or ":" to edit
Type up to 70 characters which summarize your topic. Do not use all
upper case. (It's hard to read.) When users browse topics,
they'll see only this heading, so make sure it tells them what
the topic's about. When you're finished, press <cr>. You'll
see:
OK to enter this item?
Type y <cr> You'll see:
Saving as topic 24...saved.
PRACTICING ENTERING TOPICS AND RESPONSES
Most of us feel a little uneasy at first about entering topics or
responses, particularly if we're unfamiliar with the procedure for
doing this. That's the purpose of the Test Conference.
If you want a place to practice where nobody will care how sloppy your
message looks, type go test at any Ok: prompt. Once you're in
the Test Conference, you can practice writing topics, and responses,
and editing those items.
PSEUDONYMS
To use a name other than your own as the author of the response, type
pseudo (for "pseudonym") at the Respond or pass? prompt.
You'll see: What's your handle?
Type the pseudonym you want to use and press <cr>. You'll then see the
standard prompt for beginning a response.
Note: Even when you use a pseudonym, your real userid still appears
in the response.
MAIL
To exchange private messages with other people using The WELL.
RECEIVING MAIL
You'll be told if you have any mail each time you log on to The WELL
or join a conference ("You have mail"), or if new mail arrives while
you are on ("You have more mail").
READING MAIL
If there is a message that you have mail, type mail at the Ok:
or Respond or pass? prompts. You'll see information about your mail
including who it is from and when it was mailed.
Next, at the & prompt,
type ? for help information
p (for print) x (where x is the number of the message
you want to see) (Example: p 3
or prints message number 3)
t (for type) x
<cr> to see the first message
help to see a list of mail options
After you've seen the message, you can type any of the following:
q Quit - messages are filed as read and you
return to the conference prompt
x Exit - all messages are considered unread
p Print the same message again
s [file] save (Example: s george saves the
message you just read to a file named george.
w [file] save (without header)
- Print previous (scroll backward one message)
d Delete current message
u Undelete a message you just deleted
h lists the messages in your mailbox by number
+ Next (scroll forward one message without deleting)
n Show next message
m userid begin a message to userid
!cmd Execute command while remaining in mail
f Print headers of all messages
r To reply to the message with a copy of your
reply going to every person who received the
original message
pre To have the message kept in your list of
unread mail
<cr> Your message will be kept in your mailbox
top # Prints the first few lines of the message
number given
Note: The simplest thing to do after typing mail is to answer each
prompt with a <cr>. You'll see all your messages in order, and
they'll all be saved in your "mailbox" for future viewing.
When you see the message At EOF (End Of File) you'll know
there are no more messages for you to read.
If mail you receive was sent to more than one addressee, replying
with r sends your response to all addressees. If you
reply with R your response goes to only the original
sender.
RESPONDING TO MAIL
To respond to a letter, type r at the & prompt. Type your
letter, then close with a Control-D on a line by itself.
DELETING MAIL YOU'VE READ
After you've read a message, you'll still be at the & prompt. Type
d <cr> The message you just read will be deleted.
(To have the message automatically saved in your mailbox, just go
on to the next letter or type q (for quit) if there are no
more letters).
To delete more than one message, type d 1 2 3 or d 1-3
To delete all messages, type d*
After deleting messages, press q (for quit). If you press "x"
(for exit) instead of "q", the messages are not deleted. They remain
in the mailbox and reappear at the next mail check.
Note: If you'd like to empty your entire mailbox, at the Ok:
prompt type !rm mbox All messages that were in the mailbox are
then gone for good.
SENDING MAIL
To send mail, type mail userid <cr> at the OK: or Respond or
pass? prompts. Example: mail mrc <cr>
You'll see:
Use "." or ^D to end.
1:
The number and colon (1:) is the prompt for you to write a line of
text. Type no more than 70 characters to a line and finish each line
with a <cr> just as you would with a typewriter. When you've finished
typing your mail, press Control-D, or type a period by itself at the
beginning of a line and press <cr>. You'll see:
Edit command (? for help):
Type s for send.
You'll see:
Mail sent.
Another recipient (or <return>)?
If you want to send the same mail to another recipient, enter
their userid here and press <cr>.
Suggestion: If you want to make sure The WELL delivered the
message, send the message to your own userid as well.
(The WELL's mail system cannot tell you if the
recipient has read the mail you sent.)
SENDING MAIL WITH HEADERS
You can send mail with subject (Subject:) or copy (Cc:) headers,
or even "blind" copies.
To do this, at any line number prompt while you're writing your
letter, do the following:
o To type a subject header, type ~s
(The "~" is the tilde character).
Then, on the same line, type the subject of the letter.
Press <cr> and begin (or continue) the text of the
letter on the next line.
o To send a "carbon" copy, type ~c
Then, on the same line, type the userid of the person
you want to receive a copy. All other recipients will
see that the person received a copy.
o To send a "blind" copy, type ~b
Then, on the same line, type the userid of the person
you want to receive a blind copy. No other recipients
will know the person received a copy.
FINDING OUT SOMEONE'S USERID
You must use a person's exact userid when sending mail. To find
out an individual's userid, type !finger <lastname> or
!finger <firstname> at any Ok: prompt.
Examples: !finger sullivan or !finger aaron
IF YOU SEND MAIL TO A NON-PERSON
If you mail a message to a non-existent userid, you'll see:
Ok:<baduserid>...User unknown
You have more mail
Ok:
Type: mail
You'll see information something like this:
>N 1 MAILER-DAEMON [date] "Returned mail: User unknown"
&
Type: d to delete the mail
To mail a returned letter to the correct address (or to forward
any letter you've just read), type m correctuserid. Then, at
the line number prompt, type ~f <cr> You can then continue
writing or end your letter in the usual way.
SEEING MAIL THAT'S BEEN STORED IN YOUR MAILBOX
When you read mail and don't delete it, that mail is stored in your
mailbox (called "mbox" in your personal directory). To see
stored mail, type !mail -f
You can then read the mail in the normal way by requesting specific
message numbers (Example: p 3) or by simply pressing <cr> to see the
next message.
MAKING YOUR MAILBOX PRIVATE
When you first join The WELL, your private mailbox (a file called
"mbox") is open to anyone on The WELL. To make it private so
that only you and the system operator have access to it (and the
system operator has other things to do), at the Ok: prompt
type !chmod go-rwx mbox
SENDING MAIL YOU'VE ALREADY PREPARED WITH A WORD PROCESSOR
You can upload prepared text into a letter. You'll need to know
the uploading procedure for your particular communications
software.
1. First, after using the mail userid command, write your
introductory message, if any. Then, on a line by itself, press
^D.
2. At the edit prompt, type u <cr> (u is for upload)
3. You'll now be in edit mode without line numbers. Upload
your file according to your software instructions. When
the file is finished uploading, press ^D.
4. At the edit prompt, type s <cr> as you normally would to
send mail.
Remember that different word processors use different control
characters for formatting. Before you upload your text, make sure
you've printed it to disk or used a "strip" program to remove all
control characters and limited it to ASCII characters.
For more information on ASCII characters and other esoterica, see your
communications software manual.
NOTE: To read a file from your WELL directory into a message,
at the beginning of a line, type ~r <filename> <cr>
Example: ~r resume
SECRET MAIL
This is just like "mail" but no one can read the messages except the
intended recipient.
To use secret mail:
Type !enroll at the Ok: prompt. You'll see instructions
"Gimme key". This asks for a password (key) that you must
subsequently quote in order to receive secret mail.
To send secret mail type: !xsend followed by a userid in the
same manner as the ordinary mail command. (You can send secret mail to
only one userid). Example: !xsend mrc
To receive secret mail:
If there is secret mail for you, you'll see a message that you
have mail. When you ask to see the mail, you'll be told it's
secret. Type !xget Give your password when asked,
and you'll then see your secret mail.
ONLINE MAIL HELP
For online information about mail, type help mail
or !man mail
Enter your selection or [return] to display menu;
control-d to exit.
: 3
CHAT
Chat lets you talk with another person who is logged on to the
system at the same time you are.
To find out who is currently logged on to The WELL, type !u
at the Ok: prompt. You'll see a list of all currently logged
users.
To chat with another user, type chat userid at the Ok: prompt.
Example: chat mrc
If the person has not blocked the chat command (by previously typing
set nochat at the Ok: prompt), they'll hear a beep and see a
message that you're contacting them, and you'll be put into the chat
mode. Every line you type is then sent to that person's terminal.
When you want to stop chatting, press Control-D.
IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO CHAT WITH YOU
If you get a message like;
Message from <who><where>....
along with a beep, and you want to chat with the person, type a
Control-C to stop what you're doing. Then, at the Ok: or Respond
or pass? prompts, type chat <who> <who> is the userid
of the person who wants to chat with you.
If you don't want to chat with other people, type set nochat at
the Ok: prompt. Other people will then see "Permission denied" when
they try to chat with you.
SEND
Some people consider "chat" a little abrupt. Another way of
immediately contacting someone is with the "!send" command.
Type !send userid <cr> then write the message you want to send
them as you would with mail. The addressee will receive the full
message immediately rather than just notification that you want
to talk to them. They can reply at their convenience.
HOW ONE CHATTER KNOWS WHEN THE OTHER CHATTER IS FINISHED
When you're chatting, at the end of each remark, type o by
itself on a new line and press <cr>. This corresponds to "over" (as
in radio talk) and the other person will know it is their turn to make
a remark.
At the end of your last remark in a conversation, type oo by
itself on a new line, as in "over and out", and press <cr>. Then
press Control-D and you'll leave "chat mode" and return to the
conference.
ONLINE CHAT HELP
For online information about chat, type help chat at the
Ok: prompt.
GROUP CHAT
Group Chat lets you chat with more than one person at a time. To
see who is already holding a group chat, type !gcwho at the
Ok: prompt. If you want to join them, type !gchat
When you're ready to send a message to other chatters, press s
(or the spacebar). You'll then see this prompt: >
Type your message. Do not press <cr> at the end of each line.
Text wordwraps here. Wait until you've finished typing your
message, then type <cr>. The other chatters will then see your
message, just as you see theirs on your screen.
For a list of available commands while you're in group chat, type ?
To invite someone into your group chat, type p (for page).
You'll see a list of userid's currently logged onto The WELL and
their "job numbers". Type the number of the person you want and
that person will be paged and invited to the group chat. Their
invitation includes instructions on how to join the group chat.
To leave group chat, type q You'll return to the
conference prompt.
WELL USER INFORMATION
FINDING OUT WHO IS REGISTERED ON THE WELL
At the Ok: prompt, type dir After a minute or so, you'll
begin to see a list of all members of The WELL in alphabetical
order by last name.
FINDING OUT WHO IS A PARTICIPANT IN A CONFERENCE
At the Ok: prompt for the conference, type p (for participants)
You'll see a list of all participants, their user id's, and the date
and time of their most recent visit to the conference. (Note:
This can take a while!).
CHECKING ON A PARTICULAR PERSON'S CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION
To see the last time a person visited the conference, type
p userid
To see all recent times, type !last userid
FINDING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR WELL USER
At Ok:, type !finger userid
Note: You can also type who -m userid
CHANGING YOUR BIOGRAPHICAL "FINGER FILE"
To change your "finger file" that anyone can read to find
information about you, type makeplan at any prompt. You'll
see The WELL editor answer back with this:
Edit command (? for help):
Type p <cr> to see your file
This file was created for you when you registered with The WELL. You
can edit it to make any changes you want. You have up to 15 lines of
screen to type whatever you want other users to know about you (it can
be longer if you don't care if the information doesn't fit on one
screen). When you're finished, type a period on a line by itself and
<cr>, or Control-D. You'll see:
Edit command (? for help):
Type s for send. You now have a biographical file which
others can see by typing !f <youruserid>
EDITING
The following procedure shows how to edit on The WELL. We'll use
the example of creating and editing a new file, but the procedure
works also with mail, and entering and responding to topics.
CREATING A FILE NAMED "NEWFILE"
At the Ok: prompt, type ed newfile
You'll see:
Use "." or ^D to end.
1:
This tells you that you can stop writing text at any time by typing a
period on a line by itself and pressing <cr>, or simply by pressing
Control-D. It also shows that you are ready to enter text on line
number 1 of the file you are creating.
Write several lines of text remembering to press <cr> every 70
characters or so. Your screen will look something like this:
Use "." or ^D to end.
1:
This is my first line of text. It is going to say things like
2:
this or rather like this. On the other hand, it could also say
3:
something more like this.
Press <cr> to start a new line, then press Control-D. You'll see
this:
Edit command (? for help):
Type ? and you'll see something like this:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Options at Edit command (? for help): prompt
TO DO: TYPE:
Continue entering text at next line c
Abandon the text you've written and quit a (or q)
Send the text you've written and quit s (or w)
Delete line d
Edit line e
Insert new line i
List all text with line numbers l
(from line 6 only) l6
Print all text without line numbers p
(from line 4 only) p4
See this help information ?
Upload text without seeing prompts u
(you won't see every line number)
Read an existing WELL file r
Find a particular word or phrase f
Shortcut: Enter several commands at one time separated by semicolons.
Example: e12;can't;won't gives the command to edit line 12 and
replace "can't" with "won't".
------------------------------------------------------------------
EDITING "NEWFILE"
To change a line of text, type e at the edit command prompt.
You'll see:
Line to edit?
Type the line number, for example 3. You'll see:
Line to edit: 3
Line 3:
something more like this.
String to replace:
Type the text you want to replace, for example this You'll see:
String to replace: this
New string:
Type the new replacement text, for example that You'll see:
String to replace: this
New string: that
New line 3:
something more like that.
Edit command (? for help):
Type s for send and the new text will permanently replace the
old text.
OTHER EXAMPLES
To see your entire file, type p at the Edit command prompt.
To see your entire file line number by line number, type l
To see a particular line, type llinenumber (ex: l4)
To delete a line, type d You'll be asked which line you want
to delete.
Note: To abandon any text you've typed or changes you've made,
type a at the Edit command prompt. You'll be asked if you
want to Abandon text. Type Y if you still do, and you'll return
to the previous prompt.
UPLOADING AND DOWNLOADING FILES WITH XMODEM
XModem is an error-checking procedure for transmitting files to
and from The WELL. It can be used for binary file transfer as
well as text files.
NOTE: It's easiest to download files from a conference that is
using the "lib" function (such as Amiga, Kaypro, Atari, Computer
Books, etc.) You can also download text files by having The WELL
display them on your screen while you have a session or capture
file going.
CP/M NOTE: The xmodem function of The WELL does checksum, not
CRC, file transfers. You may have to check your modem software
to see if it can handle checksum (the older of the two
protocols.)
The command to transfer a file using xmodem looks like this:
!xm [rRsS] filename
"filename" is the full pathname of the file. You use this and
one of the [rRsS] commands.
Lowercase r or s refers to text files
Uppercase r or s refers to program (binary) files
r or R stands for receive (The WELL receives a file from you)
s or S stands for send (The WELL sends a file to you)
NOTE: You can learn more about this function by typing
!man xm at the Ok: prompt.
Examples:
To download a file named zzz.bin which has been stored
in the directory of public domain Commodore 64 files,
type the following:
!xm S /well/publicdomain/c64/zzz.bin
To upload a text file named "reviews.txt" into the same
directory, type:
!xm r /well/publicdomain/c64/bforth/reviews.txt
OTHER NETWORKS
USENET (Users' Network) is a bulletin board shared among many
computer systems around the world. These systems exchange
messages on a regular basis about a variety of subjects. The
best way to learn to use USENET is to go to the Entry Conference
on The WELL (type go entry at any Ok: prompt).
At the Ok: prompt in the Entry conference, type s 19
You'll then see information on how to use USENET.
UUCP
UUCP (UNIX-to-UNIX Communication Protocol) is a network of UNIX-based
computers in the United States and other countries. The WELL's VAX
computer is in regular contact with other members of the network so
that messages can be sent literally throughout the world.
To send a message to someone on the UUCP network, you first need
to know their particular network and userid. You'll have to find
that out from them.
To find the "path" from The WELL to their network, at the Ok:
prompt, type !look theirnetworkname /well/news/lib/paths <cr>
Suppose your friend's userid is "uriel" and the network your
friend is on at work is "westlabs". To find the path, type
!look westlabs /well/news/lib/paths <cr>
You might see something like this:
westlabs sun!meta!westlabs!%s
So to send a message to your friend, at the Ok: prompt you type,
!mail sun\!meta\!westlabs\!uriel
NOTE: Make sure you include the backslashes. It won't work
without them.
QUICK COMMAND CARDS
OPTIONS AT Ok: PROMPT
To see this list, type help at the Ok: prompt.
See a list of all conferences ?conf
Go to a conference g
Browse conference topic headings b
See specific topic/responses s # (Example: s 4)
See all new responses and topics s (with no topic number)
Enter a new topic e
See who belongs to conference p
See who's on line now !w
Leave The WELL exit
Display the WELL manual manual
See a full list of commands help commands
To stop reading a topic or responses
and go to Respond or pass? prompt Ctrl-C
Receive mail mail
Mail an electronic letter mail <userid> (Example: mail trob)
Talk with someone on line chat <userid> (Example: chat tims)
Join a group chat !gchat
Stop whatever you're doing,
including mail, chat, or
entering topic or response Ctrl-D
OPTIONS AT Respond or pass? PROMPT
To see this list, type help at the Respond or pass? prompt
Go to next topic pass (p) or <cr>
Make a comment respond (r)
Display last response last (l)
Read specific response # (Example: 5)
Repeat topic text 0
Make what you just read "new" new (n)
Skip this topic in future forget (f)
Enter a new topic enter (e)
Go to Ok: prompt quit (q)
See a full list of commands help commands
Receive mail mail
Mail an electronic letter mail <userid> (Example: mail lila)
Talk with someone on line chat <userid> (Example: chat mojo)
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
GENERAL
1. What's the WELL's phone number?
(415) 332-6106 (To find your local UNINET number, call
UNINET at (800) 821-5340.
2. How do I log off The WELL?
Type exit at the Ok: prompt.
3. How do I change my password:
Type set passwd at the Ok: prompt.
4. How do I check how much space I'm using on The WELL?
Type ls -l at the Ok: prompt. You'll see the answer in
kilobytes.
5. How do I remove a file I don't want anymore?
Type !rm filename at the Ok: prompt.
6. How do I check my current WELL bill?
To see your charges from the beginning of the month, type
bill at the Ok: prompt.
HELP
7. How do I know what I can enter at a prompt?
To see a list of available commands at a prompt,
type help at the prompt.
To find information on a specific command or topic,
type help command or help topic
Example: help mail or help browse
For *very* detailed information, type !man command
Example: !man mail
8. How do I get information about a conference?
First, browse the conference and look at the topic headers.
Frequently Topic #1 will have general information about the
conference. If you still need more information, ask the
host. Type display fw at the conference's OK: prompt
to find out the userid of the host. Then send mail to the
host with any questions you might have.
9. How do I ask questions about using The WELL?
Go to the Help conference (go help). Browse through the
topics to see if someone has already asked the question. If
not, enter a new topic with your question or problem.
Someone is sure to come to your rescue.
10. How can I practice using The WELL without bothering anybody?
Go to the Test conference (go test). You can enter topics
and responses there to your heart's content. The conference
is designed for experimentation so it doesn't matter how
many mistakes you make.
USER INFORMATION
11. How do I find someone's userid?
Type !f lastname at the Ok: prompt.
12. How do I find if someone is a member of The WELL?
Type !f lastname at the Ok: prompt.
13. How do I find biographical information on a WELL member?
Type !finger userid or who -m userid at the Ok: prompt.
CONFERENCES
14. How do I find out what conferences are available?
Type ? conf at the Ok: prompt.
15. How do I find the name of a conference's host?
At the conference's Ok: prompt, type display fw
You'll see the host's userid.
16. How do I find a particular topic in a conference?
Type b at the conference's Ok: prompt.
(You can do a more detailed search with b "searchword"
Example: b "modem"
17. How do I find all the new topics I haven't read in a conference?
Type b n at the Ok: prompt.
18. How do I seYou have mail
e a specific topic?
Type s topic# at the Ok: prompt.
19. How do I find a certain word in a conference?
Type find "searchword" at the conference's Ok: prompt.
You'll see a list of every place that word appears in the
conference.
20. How do I avoid seeing a particular topic in the future?
At the topic's Respond or pass? prompt, type forget
If you later change your mind, type remember topic#
MAIL
21. How do I find my mail messages?
Type mail at the Ok: prompt.
22. How do I find a particular mail message?
Type mail at the Ok: prompt, then type h to see
the first few lines of each message.
23. How do I find a piece of previously seen mail?
Type !mail -f You'll then see how many messages have
been stored in your mailbox. See the Mail section of this
manual for your options at this point.
24. How do I put a subject header in my mail?
Type ~s at the beginning of a line. What follows on
that line will be the subject header.
25. How do I make my mailbox private?
Type !chmod go-r mbox at the Ok: prompt.
CHAT
26. How do I start a chat with someone?
Type chat userid at the Ok: prompt.
27. How do I find out who is currently on The WELL?
Type !u at the Ok: prompt.
28. How do I find my place after a chat interrupt?
Type r this nor at the Ok: prompt.
29. How do I keep from getting interrupted by chat?
Type set nochat at the Ok: prompt.
When you're ready to receive chat invitations again,
type set chat
30. How do I see who's already in a group chat?
Type !gcwho at the Ok: prompt.
To join them, type !gchat
MISCELLANEOUS
31. How do I stop in the middle of writing mail, a topic, or a
response?
Press Control-C and everything will go away.
32. How do I see a list of editing commands while I'm editing a
file?
At the line number prompt, type Control-D. At the edit
prompt, type ? You'll see a list of the available
edit commands.
Enter your selection or [return] to display menu;
control-d to exit.
: 4
ADVANCED FEATURES
Warning: Information in the following section is not presented
in as much detail as the previous area of the manual.
You do not need to know or use any of the Advanced
Features to use The WELL.
We assume that if you're interested in the Advanced
Features, you're probably an experienced enough
computer user to be able to figure out how they work.
If not, the Help Conference is an excellent place to ask
questions about this or any other material concerning
The WELL.
MAKING YOUR OWN AUTOMATIC CONFERENCE SCANNER (.cflist)
When you have a .cflist, each time you visit The WELL you're
automatically led, in the order you indicate, through the
conferences you list in the file.
To create this file, type listadd at the Ok: prompt.
You'll see:
Which conference would you like to add to your list?
Type the name of the conference you want to add to the list, and press
<cr>.
You can also remove a name from your conference list by typing
listrm
To add or move a name to the top of the list, type listtop
Each time you change the list, you end up back at the Ok: prompt.
Next time you log in you'll be shown those conferences in that order.
When you finish with each conference, type n (for "next" at
the Ok: prompt). You'll automatically move to the next conference on
your list.
To see this list at any time, at the Ok: prompt type
cat .cflist
Once you've created your .cflist file, to see a list of all the
conferences you specified in your file which have new topics, type
check at the Ok: prompt.
An asterisk indicates which conference you entered first, and an arrow
indicates which conference you're currently in.
Note: You can also put check in the .cfonce file in your directory
(see separate listing in this manual) and have it execute every time
you log on. Do not put check in your .cfrc file (another one
discussed elsewhere in this manual) or you'll get a listing every time
you move to another conference.
USING A .profile FILE
The .profile file performs certain useful functions for you every time
you log on to the WELL. It was created for you by the WELL system
administration when you first got your userid.
You may want to add things to this file for specific purposes,
such as automatically controlling text scrolling, but you should
be careful not to remove this file, or change anything that was
put there by the system administrator (unless you're absolutely
sure you know what you're doing).
The profile file initially "belongs" to the system administrator. To
take control of it yourself, do the following:
Type !cp .profile temp
!rm -f .profile
!mv temp .profile
which translates to: 1) make a copy of the .profile file, 2)
remove the old one, (the -f eliminates a query from rm about the
fact that you don't own the file), and 3) rename your temporary
file to .profile.
USING A .cfonce FILE
A .cfonce file is an optional file you can create to execute some
commands once The WELL boots up. Use this for some things you
want done only once. If you want certain things done each time
you enter a new conference, put those commands in your .cfrc file
(next section).
For example, this is where you would put check so that as
soon as you log on to The WELL, you can see which conferences
have new items.
USING A .cfrc FILE
A .cfrc file is a file that executes commands every time you go to a
new conference.
For example, if you put "see" in your own .cfrc file, every time you
go to a new conference, you'll automatically be shown everything new
without having to type "see" every time.
You can also:
define your own editor
set "date" in response and topic headers on and off
define your own pager
define how topic and response headers will look to you
define how prompts will look to you
define your own Picospan and Unix command macros
automatically execute Picospan commands
set usrid on (this makes it possible to always know who is really
entering a pseudononymous response)
and lots of other stuff.
CHANGING HOW A PROMPT APPEARS
You have the option of changing how the Ok: prompt appears to you (and
only to you).
At the Ok: prompt, type define prompt "newprompt" (make
sure the new prompt is in quotation marks). You'll get that new
prompt for the duration of the session.
Note: To define a prompt continually, place it in your .cfonce file.
Any time you want to again use OK: as the prompt, type
define prompt (with no new prompt specified). This returns
to the default, which is "Ok:".
MOVING FILES AROUND
You have your own private directory on The WELL. To see its name, at
the Ok: prompt, type pwd (for "present working directory").
To upload a file into this directory, at Ok:,
type cat > <filename>
Finish uploading by pressing Control-D. At the first > prompt,
type :read <filename> to read the file you uploaded.
SEEING WHAT'S IN YOUR PRIVATE FILE DIRECTORY
At OK? or Respond or Pass?, type ls -al to list all
files in the current directory.
The numbers you see will be the size of each file. This is
useful in seeing which files to remove if you don't want to be
charged by The WELL for excess storage space.
Type cat filename or type filename to read a text file.
Type ed filename to edit a file
Type !rm filename to remove a file
PLACING RESTRICTIONS ON FILES YOU'VE CREATED
You can determine what other users can do with files that you've
created. To do this, use the "chmod" command.
First, to see what users are currently allowed to do with the
file, type files -l <filename>
Example: files -l manual
You'll see something like:
-rw-r--r-- 1 mick 84312 May 4 1986 manual
EXPLANATION:
-rw-r--r-- 1 mick 84312 May 4 1986 manual
123456789x
1 is normally a hyphen for most files ("d" if a directory)
2,3,4 are user permissions (2=read, 3=write, 4=execute)
5,6,7 are group permissions (5=read, 6=write, 7=execute)
8,9,x are "all others" permissions (8=read, 9=write, x=execute)
So for the file named "manual", the user (mick) can read the file
and write to (change) the file. Everyone else can only read the
file.
To have other users not be able to change a file, type
!chmod go -w <filename>
Note: !chmod +w <filename> will again let all users write to the
file
The full form for this is:
!chmod who opcodepermission <filename>
who: u user
g group
o all others
a all (default)
opcode: + add permission of files
- remove permission of files
= assign absolute permission for file
permissions: r read
w write
x execute
!chmod go-r payroll_data
Now no one else except the user can read the file named
"payroll_data".
For full online information on permissions, at the Ok: prompt
type !man chmod
ADVANCED CONFERENCE COMMANDS
CALENDAR
"calendar" checks for a file in your directory named either for
today or tomorrow and prints any that it finds.
DISPLAY
At the Ok: prompt, type display <command> where <command>
is one of the following:
forgotten forgotten topics
retired retired topics
new new topic status
conference information on this conference
user, name your name in this conference
seen seen topic status
time, date the current time or date
who who is on the system
fws, fairwitnesses fairwitnesses to current conference
login login message in this conference
logout logout message in this conference
logmessages both login and logout messages index
index conference index created by fairwitness
list display current .cflist
participants participants
definitions definitions
strip,dot,meto,stay,
chat,default,mailtext say where the flags are on
size superuser fds assorted random debugging info
DISPLAY SEEN
To see a list of every topic in a conference, the number of
responses made to each topic, and the last time you saw the topic,
type display seen at the conference Ok: prompt.
LAST
!last shows you who has called into the system recently. It
lists userid, port#, and date and time of last access. To see
the last times a particular user logged on to The WELL, type
!last userid
To see a specific number of times, for example the last two times
a user was on, type !last -2 userid
PRINT
Type: print
This command works much like read, except it automatically bypasses
the Respond or pass? prompt. It also starts each new topic at the top
of a page. If you don't want to read an entire topic, press Control-
C.
SET
(As a shortcut you only need to type those letters indicated here
in uppercase)
Type: set [option] where [option] is one of the following:
Example: set nochat or set noch
CHat,NOCHat allow (don't allow) other people to chat with
you this session.
DATE, NODate ask that The WELL display(or not) dates on
response this session
DOT,NODOT otherwise, will period end text mode, or just ^D
only?
EDalways,NOEDalways will I go directly to the editor upon text
entry (respond, enter, mail)?
MAiltext, NOMAiltext let the send mail program collect text
instead of us
MEto,NOMEto will I see my responses as "new" after someone
else responses?
NAme, USer change your name in the current conference
NEWResponses,RELoad reload participation file, forgetting what
I've seen in this conference since the last
session
NODEfault, DEFAULT join the default conference when starting
up. Only useful in a .cfonce file
NUmbered,NONUmbered,
UNNumbered number, don't number text in responses
PAssword, PAsswd change your Unix password
RELOAD set reload at the Ok: prompt works as a
conference-wide "new".
If, for example, you have viewed a number of
new entries in a conference and you want to
see a response again but you didn't know
where it was, just set reload and everything
you just saw will be new again.
RESIGN zap my participation file and leave me an
observer
STrip,NOSTrip The WELL will (won't) strip control
characters out of text typed in
STAy, NOSTAy should RFP stay on current topic after a
response is made?
UID, NOUid do (don't) display uids on responses
UNIX
To exit from The WELL to the Unix system,
type unix
You can give a Unix command from the Ok: prompt.
Type !unix-command (Example: !finger tkr)
You can use Unix to upload and download files, access C and other
languages, access word processors, and so on. Exit Unix with a
Control-D or return to the conferences by typing bbs
MACROS
DEFINING MACROS
A macro is a shortcut -- a short command which causes a longer
series of commands to take place.
Type define display current macros
define name remove name from macro table
define name "string" define a variable
define name mask "string" define a command
The form of this command is;
define <name> <mask> <list of commands>
<name> = whatever combinations of letters numbers or whatever you use
here will be what you type at the Ok: prompt to execute the specified
command
<mask> - can be one of the following;
1 - for command macros which will work at the Ok: prompt
2 - for variables
4 - for command parameters (such as topic ranges)
8 - for command macros which will work at the Respond or pass? prompt
or combinations of the above, such as;
9 - for commands that will work at both the Ok: and the Respond or
pass? prompt (8 + 1 = 9)
<list of commands> - this is whatever command you want executed
Examples:
define haha 9 "join jokes"
when you type haha at either the Ok: or Respond or pass? prompt, the
command join jokes is executed. The "mask" 9 is used so the macro
will work at both prompts. The command "join jokes" must be in quote
marks.
define toc 9 "browse all short"
Typing the macro name "toc" at either the Ok: or Respond or pass?
prompt will execute the command, browse all short.
define copytext 9 "cat /usr/guest/plum/pudding"
Typing the word "copytext" at either the Ok: or Respond or pass?
prompt will copy a file named "pudding" located in the home directory
of /usr/guest/plum.
CREATING A MACRO WHICH LETS YOU SEE WHICH CONFERENCES YOU
HAVEN'T VISITED LATELY
At Ok:, type define oldest 9 "ls -ltr .*.cf*"
Now when you type oldest, you'll see when you last visited all
conferences on The WELL in reverse order, so that the conference
you've been away from the longest will be at the top of the list.
To have this available at all times, define the macro in your .cfrc
file.
WELL COMMAND LIST
Conference commands (Ok:)
Abort get out quick from conference and The WELL
Amsuperuser abort macros & scripts if not a fairwitness
Async turn party topic back into a normal topic
Browse scan headers
Cd, pwd,
cat, files,
unmask, ed file operations
Change change them (same as Set)
Chat chat with other users
Check check status of a list of conferences
Define define variables or abbreviations
Define nopager defines nopager
Define pager more - turns pager back on
Display display various parameters
Echo type short messages out
Enter create new topics
Find look for "string"
Fixseen pretend you've seen everything
Forget forget topics
Freeze stop responses on a topic
Help get help on topics ("help" alone shows list of all
commands)
Join join a new conference
Kill kill (remove permanently) topics
Leave leave current conference, but not The WELL
Mail send or receive mail
Next join the next new conference
Participants display participants here
Quit exit conference: also use stop, exit
Read read topics (same as See)
Remember remember forgotten topics
Retire retire a topic from general circulation
See see topics (same as Read)
Source source PicoSpan commands from a file
Sync make a party topic
Thaw allow responses again on a topic
Unix exit to Unix or execute a Unix command
Unretire unretire a topic from general circulation
Who who is on the system
!unixcommand execute one Unix command underneath PicoSpan
UNIX COMMANDS
!"file1". This can be used to locate a subject in one of the
conferences, as well.
!cal # year print calendar for month (Example: cal 4 1985
!cal year print calendar for entire year, (ex. cal 1985
prints the calendar for April 1985)
!cat concatenates files and prints them out
!cat filename type a file in your directory
!cd go to home directory
!cd change directory
!cp file1 file2 - makes a copy of file1 and names it file2
!date print current time and date
!ex text editor
!finger user information lookup program
!grep 'string' /usr/bbs/conference/_* will display each occurrence
of 'string' within any topic in the named conference and show you
the line it's on. It also displays the file name, which is the
topic number preceded by '_'.
!grep 'string' file1 - this locates a string within the file
!grep 422 /etc/passwd tells you who uid 422 is
!grep nnn /etc/passwd tells you who the possessor of uid nnn is
!learn command run tutorial on the command (Example: learn vi
runs a tutorial teaching how to use the "vi"
editor)
!ls list a directory of files in your account
!mail send and receive mail
!man -k keyword lists commands relevant to keyword
!man command prints out manual for a command
!mv file1 file2 change name of file1 to file2
!pwd print working directory
!rm filename remove a file in your directory
!sort sorts input into alphabetical order
!spell [file] find spelling errors
!tail prints last 10 lines of file (has options)
!wc -w [filename] count words in a file
!who who is on the system
!whoami to see your login name
* any string of characters
> redirects output
>> add to the end of
< take the input for a program from the
following file
To see more on-line information, use the "!man" command:
Example: To find programs about mail, type !man -k mail
To print out mail command documentation, type !man mail
-- END OF MANUAL --
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