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UNIX Hints & Hacks |
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Chapter 9: Users |
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Users who come from the PC world and are not really computer literate often have a difficult time making the transition to UNIX. The use of slashes, backslashes, single quotes, double quotes, tilde, and pipes all add to the confusion. When you try to talk users through certain commands over the phone, you can say one thing, but they hear another. You can tell the users to type "cd" slash (/) all you want, but they will continue to hit "cd" backslash (\), because they are so used to PC DOS. You will never get anywhere. You will be lucky if they actually have turned off the CAPS lock.
At times when you just can't figure out why the user is typing what you tell them and it isn't working, you can always send a wall, write, or talk command to help support them. If no one else is on the system except you and the user, use a wall because it is quick to execute. If there are others on the system, use the write command. Simply send through the wall (or write) command what you are trying to get the user to type. Your command should appear on the terminal window of the user. You can then ask whether this was what they were typing. In most cases they will say no. If you issue the talk command, have the user open up a new window first, and then get a talk session open. If the user is fluent in cutting and pasting lines, you can ask him to paste in the line he or she is trying to type, so you can see the error or you can paste in the correct line.
These simple tools are lifesavers for helping you keep your sanity. Whenever you start to catch yourself running in circles with a user, it is time to use one of these commands. (Also see Chapter 7, Section 7.6 "Sharing STDIN/STDOUT on Two Terminals ," for one more method of handling a situation like this.)
The wall, write, and talk commands are standard commands that are discussed in every introductory UNIX book and course. Check the man pages if you are not familiar with them.
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UNIX Hints & Hacks |
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Chapter 9: Users |
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