Environment Variables

ETC Homework & Coursework Questions
1
  1. The problem statement:

What is the mesg value set for your environment? If it is on, how would you turn off your current
session? How would you set it permanently?

  1. The attempts at a solution :

Read Unix The textbook.
3rd chapter has many things like environment variables and ans setting value of a variable for our session or any subsequent session but nothing about "mesg" value.

I think its a typo cuz google also doesn't show any result about it.

also went through Operating System Concepts 8th edition

  1. Punjab University College of Information technology, Lahore Punjab, Pakistan, Adeel Nisar, Operating systems :
2

I don't think they mean environment variable in this context, though 'mesg' is definitely a thing, see 'man mesg'.

1 Like
3

Use the man command to look at how to use the mesg command. man mesg

This should give you the information that you need to solve your problem/answer your question.

1 Like
4

So I did "man mesg" and know what it is and how to set it for current session. "mesg y/n"

by the way Under which major topic this might be listed?

5

There are no "major topics" in man, it is a database. you enter "man command" and it tells you about the command. Try it with some of the commands you know. You can even enter "man man" to get help about "man".

There is also a keyword search, "man -k keyword" (or "apropos keyword", which is the same), which will bring up a list of articles in which "keyword" is used.

The only major grouping is that the man database is grouped in "sections".
I suggest you start with "man man", the sections and their contents are laid out there. Unix expertise is not so much about knowing everything, but to know where to find everything. We all use "man" frequently, many times a day, to look up certain information. So you can't start early enough to develop the same habit.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

1 Like
6

Be sure to check out the 'see also' sections you'll often find in a man page.