Software:write (Unix)

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Short description: Unix command to send messages to another user by writing directly to their terminal

write
Original author(s)Dennis Ritchie,
Ken Thompson
Developer(s)AT&T Bell Laboratories
Initial releaseNovember 3, 1971; 53 years ago (1971-11-03)
Operating systemUnix and Unix-like
PlatformCross-platform
TypeCommand

In Unix and Unix-like operating systems, write is a utility used to send messages to another user by writing a message directly to another user's TTY.[1]

History

The write command was included in the First Edition of the Research Unix operating system.[2] A similar command appeared in Compatible Time-Sharing System.[3]

Sample usage

The syntax for the write command is:

$ write user [tty]
message

The write session is terminated by sending EOF, which can be done by pressing Ctrl+D. The tty argument is only necessary when a user is logged into more than one terminal.[4]

A conversation initiated between two users on the same machine:

$ write root pts/7
test

Will show up to the user on that console as:

Message from root@wiki on pts/8 at 11:19 ...
test

See also

References

  1. write(1) – Version 7 Unix Programmer's Manual
  2. Unix Programmer's Manual (1st ed.). Bell Labs. 3 November 1971. p. write(1). http://www.bell-labs.com/usr/dmr/www/man14.pdf. Retrieved 9 July 2016. 
  3. Fetter, Mirko (2019). New Concepts for Presence and Availability in Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing. University of Bamberg Press. p. 38. ISBN 9783863096236. https://books.google.com/books?id=knqIDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22ctss%22+%22write+command%22&pg=PA38. "The basic concept of sending instantaneously messages to logged in users came with ... CTSS ..." 
  4. write(1) – util-linux man page