On many systems there exists the `finger' command, which yield information about each user that's currently logged in. This command also has extensions for use over the Internet, as well. Under normal circumstances, the command is simply `finger' for a summary of who's logged into the local system, or `finger username' for specific information about a user. It's also possible to go one step further and go onto the network. The general usage is
finger @hostname
To see who's currently logged in at Widener University, for instance, use
% finger @cs.widener.edu [cs.widener.edu] Login Name TTY Idle When Where brendan Brendan Kehoe p0 Fri 02:14 tattoo.cs.widene sven Sven Heinicke p1 Fri 04:16 xyplex3.cs.widen
To find out about a certain user, they can be fingered specifically (and need not be logged in):
% finger bart@cs.widener.edu [cs.widener.edu] Login name: bart In real life: Bart Simpson Directory: /home/springfield/bart Shell: /bin/underachiever Affiliation: Brother of Lisa Home System: channel29.fox.org Last login Thu May 23 12:14 (EDT) on ttyp6 from channel29.fox.org. No unread mail Project: To become a "fluff" cartoon character. Plan: Don't have a cow, man.
Please realize that some sites are very security conscious, and need
to restrict the information about their systems and users available to
the outside world. To that end, they often block finger
requests from outside sites--so don't be surprised if fingering a
computer or a user returns with `Connection refused'.
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