[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Bug#40304: write problem



In message <199905211649.MAA11138@lina.lnx>,
Amy Fong writes:
>Package: bsdmainutils
>Version: 4.5.2
>Severity: important
>
>Can't write to users on xterms?!??!
>Seems like a Unix98 pty thing.
>
>all xterms have mesg y
>
>On a write to myself, it claims:
>amyf@lina:~$ write amyf
>write: amyf has messages disabled

I don't get that behaviour, using either xvts or xterms.  I have:

    Name            Version        Description
+++-===============-==============-============================================
ii  xvt             2.1-9          X terminal-emulator similar to xterm, but sm
ii  xterm           3.3.3.1-10     X terminal emulator
ii  bsdmainutils    4.5.2          More utilities from 4.4BSD-Lite.
ii  libc6           2.1.1-12       GNU C Library: Shared libraries and timezone
ii  procps          2.0.2-2        The /proc file system utilities.
ii  shellutils      1.16-6.5       The GNU shell programming utilities.
ii  netstd          3.07-7slink.3  Networking binaries and daemons for Linux

If I open two xterms, pts/0 and pts/1, I get this is pts/0:

  bash-2.02$ tty
  /dev/pts/0
  bash-2.02$ mesg
  is y
  bash-2.02$ write cpb4
  write: cpb4 is logged in more than once; writing to pts/0

  Message from cpb4@merry on /dev/pts/0 at 14:24 ...
  testing
  testing
  EOF
  bash-2.02$ write cpb4 pts/1
  testing       
  bash-2.02$ 

>(/usr/bin/w seems to be broken as well - doesn't report users on Unix98
>ptys)

  bash-2.02$ w
    2:25pm  up 3 days, 17:26,  4 users,  load average: 0.06, 0.10, 0.11
  USER     TTY      FROM              LOGIN@   IDLE   JCPU   PCPU  WHAT
  cpb4     pts/0    merry.bs.lan:0.0  2:17pm  0.00s  1.17s  0.06s  w 
  cpb4     merry.bs -                Wed 9pm  0.00s 22:02    ?     -
  cpb4     pts/1    merry.bs.lan:0.0  2:17pm  4:55   0.34s  0.34s  bash 
  bash-2.02$ who
  cpb4     :0       Jul  7 02:20 (console)
  cpb4     pts/0    Jul 10 14:17 (merry.bs.lan:0.0)
  cpb4     merry.bs.lan:0 Jul  7 21:18
  cpb4     pts/1    Jul 10 14:17 (merry.bs.lan:0.0)
  bash-2.02$ finger
  finger: /dev//merry.bs.lan:0: No such file or directory
  Login    Name                  Tty  Idle  Login Time   Office     Office Phone
  cpb4     Charles Briscoe-Smith *:0        Jul  7 02:20 (console)
  cpb4     Charles Briscoe-Smith  pt        Jul 10 14:17 (merry.bs.lan:0.0)
  cpb4     Charles Briscoe-Smith *me        Jul  7 21:18 -          -
  cpb4     Charles Briscoe-Smith  pt     5  Jul 10 14:17 (merry.bs.lan:0.0)
  bash-2.02$ 

I think that X logins, telnet logins, console logins, xterm windows,
xvt windows, rxvt windows, etc may all potentially be logged in utmp
differently, and this makes for wierd inconsistencies in the output
from w, who, finger and friends; they each have a their own idea of what
kinds of utmp record they should show.

On my system, w shows xterms, but not xvts.  who and finger both show
both kinds of window.  Perhaps we need a policy on this.

-- 
Charles Briscoe-Smith
My web page: <URL:http://www.debian.org/%7Ecpbs/>
PGP public keyprint: 74 68 AB 2E 1C 60 22 94  B8 21 2D 01 DE 66 13 E2


Reply to: