Talk to another user
The talk command is a client tool for the talk server, allowing users to chat with other users. It is easy to use: as long as you know the address of the person you wish to talk to, you can invite them to a conversation.
talk (parameters)
For example, if user jdx logged into host rs6000.cic.test.com wants to talk to user wangxz logged into host tirc.cs.test.com, they can enter:
talk wangxz@tirc.cs.test.com
The Talk Daemon on the internet will send a message inviting wangxz to chat. The following message will appear on wangxz's screen along with a notification bell:
Message from Talk_Daemon@tirc.cs.test.com at 21:44 …
talk: connection requested by jdx@rs6000.cic.test.com
talk: respond with: talk jdx@rs6000.cic.test.com
User wangxz should then follow the prompt and enter:
talk jdx@rs6000.cic.test.com
Once the connection is established, the two users can begin chatting. Both terminals will display [Connection established] and ring. The screen will be split into two halves by a horizontal line: the top half displays your own input, and the bottom half displays the other person's input. Both users can type simultaneously, and their input will be displayed in real-time.
While typing, you can press BACKSPACE to correct the previous character, CTRL+w to delete a whole word, or CTRL+U to delete an entire line. Additionally, CTRL+L refreshes the screen. To end the conversation, either party can press CTRL+C. It is polite to say "goodbye" before closing. When the program ends, the following message is displayed:
[Connection closing. Exiting]
A talk request might not always succeed. If the other person is not logged in, the program will display:
[Your party is not logged on]
If the user is logged in but does not respond, talk will send an invitation every 10 seconds and display:
[Ringing your party again]
You can press CTRL+C to terminate the request. Sometimes you might see:
[Checking for invitation on caller’s machine]
This indicates that the talk programs on the two machines are incompatible. In this case, you can try the ntalk or ytalk commands.
If you are doing urgent work (like editing an email) and do not want to be interrupted by talk invitations, use:
mesg n
To temporarily refuse messages. Anyone trying to talk to you will see:
[Your party is refusing messages]
Remember to turn message reception back on with mesg y once you finish your work.