VideoCam Services Online Help

Members FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) File, or the Homestead mail list (and you can search the list's archives online.

We've added a new UNIX Help site (developed by the University of Edinburgh). It includes a search function to look for key UNIX commands and concepts.

Another feature you may want to try is our new menu system. Just type 'menu' from the command line to start it. It's not fancy, but it may help you learn about using other features online that you haven't tried before.

Where possible, I will try to include links to more information about each item listed below.

UQWK
UQWK allows you to create QWK packets of your Email and newsgroups so you can download the files to read offline.

DO NOT type "uqwk" on the command line by itself as it will remove your Email from the mail spool.

Instead, use these two script files: "domail" and "doreps". We've found it's best if these files are in the users directory as that way you can edit them to suit your needs.
You can download the files from the links above, or you can ask and we'll place them in your directory for you. If you download them, you will need to make them executable (so they run as a program file) by typing on the command line:
chmod 764 domail chmod 764 doreps
After you've tested and all is well with using the programs, you will need to change the line for UQWK in the file 'domail' to set it so it's no longer 'read-only'.
uqwk +r +m +n +e
Remove the '+r' which tells UQWK to do things in read-only mode. It should look like this when you're ready to for real use of it:
uqwk +m +n +e
, and edit them to suit your needs. They are currently set up for UQWK use with QWKRR128.
If you're a C128 user, you can use our own Rod Gasson's QWKRR128 QWK Offline Mail Reader. QWKRR was shareware, but is now free to use and enjoy. The docs are online and offer a great deal more information about using offline mail readers.
If you're still thirsting for information on UQWK, I wrote a tutorial about using UQWK several years ago that appeared in C= Hacking #13. It formed the basis for the Advanced Email chapter in the TIFCU manual.
For your convenience, we also have an 'offline mail reader' online so you can test QWK packets. The program name is 'jmr' and can be started from the command line.
Text Editors
To use these editors, on the command line, type the name of the editor, then the name of the text file you want to edit. For example:
```
    pico myfile.txt
    
```
- pico
  An easy to use text editor. A menu of key commands is always shown at the bottom of the screen. This is the default editor for our dial-in and telnet users.
- joe
  Ismael Cordeiro's preferred text editor. It is similar to CP/M style editors. To get help when using joe, type:
```
    CTRL-k h

    
```
- More complex editors for using advanced features like search/replace. Both are good editors, but neither are easy for new users to get used to using:
  - emacs
  - vi
Email
- pine
  I prefer using Pine and have found most new users get used to it fairly quickly.
- elm
  Elm is another full featured Email program.
Reading Newsgroups
- tin
  Tin is the recommended news reader. If you only want to see a specific newsgroup, you can start tin with: "tin newsgroupname". Example:
```
    tin local.general
    
```
- pine
  To read the newsgroups with Pine, you may need to change your Pine settings.
  To do this, from Pine's main menu, press "s" for Setup and then "c" for config. The items to change are:
```
    
    nntp-server = localhost
    newsrc-path = ~/.newsrc
    news-active-file-path = /var/lib/news/active
    news-spool-directory = /var/spool/news
    
```
  Your .newsrc file (which is what it and other news related programs use to tell which articles have been read. Pine doesn't make any changes to this file unless you delete articles. It doesn't delete them from our server, it simply updates the .newsrc file so other programs know what messages you've read.
- lynx
  For browsing our newsgroups with Lynx, while within Lynx, type the letter "g" (for 'Go') and at the prompt for a URL, type: "news:".
  Or, you can just select this link: news
Browsing the Web with Lynx
- lynx Lynx is the utility for web browsing. This is also the program you are probably using to view this file if you typed "help" on the command line.
  Editing the lynx.cfg file isn't necessary, but if you wish to do so, the lynx.cfg file can be copied to your home directory using the command:
```
    cp /etc/lynx.cfg ~/mylynx.cfg
    
```
  You can then edit it, and try your own custom set up using the command:
```
    
    lynx -cfg=~/mylynx.cfg
    
```
Browsing your home directory
- browse
  Just type 'browse' on the command line, and you will be browsing your home directory using Lynx. This is a custom command on VideoCam Services site. Using this, you can read and edit files in your home directory, download files, and more. It's very handy.
- mc (Midnight Commander)
  This program is well worth looking into as it's a very nice directory browser with a lot of extra features.
  Typing 'mc' on the command line starts the program. If you use 'mc -c' on the command line, it starts in color mode.
  
  MC uses F-keys for various commands, and to use these from the terminal, just press ESC (or the C= equivalent for your term program) and the corresponding number key.
  For instance, 'ESC 0' is the same as pressing the F10 key.

Common UNIX Commands

man name - This brings up the manual (man for short) pages about a command. Try typing 'man pico' to learn about using Pico, or 'man pine' to learn about Pine.
w - This shows who is logged in, idle time, and what they are doing.
ls or dir - List directory contents, similar to dir/w or 'load "$",8,1' followed by 'list' on C64/128 systems.
cd - change directory, if no directory specified, it will move you to your home directory.
cd .. - go to the directory above the current one.
sz, sb, sx - zmodem, ymodem, xmodem download (send from system) file.
rz, rb, rx - zmodem, ymodem, xmodem upload (recieve to system) file.
mkdir name - will make a subdirectory called 'name' in the current directory.
mv name1 name2 - Move (rename) a file from name1 to name2, or move to different dir. Be careful with this command.
cp name1 name2 - Copy files (If you have permission to do so)
rm name - Remove (delete) a file. Be VERY careful with this command. Once a file is deleted, there is no way to recover it.
Unix Reference Desk
The link above will take you to a reference desk with helpful infomation about using UNIX commands and programs.
More Local UNIX Help (developed by the University of Edinburgh).

Online UNIX Help

Common UNIX Commands