
MSG sends a one line message to another user or users, possibly over
the network.  We like it much more than write(1) and talk(1).

For example,
  % msg jdoe@othermachine
  Let's go eat!
  %
  jdoe@othermachine: ok - where?
  msg -r
  msg: Replying to 'jdoe@othermachine'
  How about the cafeteria?
  %

To install, add the lines to /etc/services and /etc/inetd.conf,
modify the Makefile and */Makefile to your needs, and adjust
Include/msgoptions.h to set the options that are appropriate for you.

mesg is a modified version of the Berkeley mesg program.  The Tahoe
version appears with the Berkeley copyright - this version is based on
4.2 or 4.3, and so I added the Berkeley copyright notice, and assume
that distribution is ok.  This version allows you to set an answerback
message that will be given to any user trying to send you a message.
Note that this version has to be setuid root so that it can remove
other users answerback message files.

We use this on Sun3, Sun4, BSD Vax, Ultrix Vax, MIPS, DEC MIPS, and Sequent.

Note that the service number that we use has not been officially
registered.  If I ever get off my butt, and register a real number,
it should be relatively easy to update things.  Or so I like to think.
I'd like to encourage everyone to use the same port number i.e. 1241/tcp,
otherwise we won't be able to talk to each other.

Naturally, no warranties, bug fixes and enhancements accepted, but
no support committments.  Available via anonymous ftp from
watmath.waterloo.edu in pub/msg.shar.

John Sellens
Math Faculty Computing Facility
University of Waterloo
jmsellens@watmath.waterloo.edu
