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Pine is an application that allows you to read e-mail or newsgroups. Instructions on using Pine to read e-mail are available on the Electronic Mail handout. Pine uses an editor called Pico to compose messages or articles. Both Pine and Pico have a command menu at the bottom of the page and context-sensitive help in case you get stuck. To start Pine, type pine at the Unix prompt.
Options in Pine are presented at the bottom of the screen. They can be selected by pressing the highlighted letter next to the option. Options that begin with a carat (^) can be selected by holding the key whlie pressing the option letter.
Initialization
When Pine is started, it reads a file called .newsrc in your home directory to see which newsgroups you are subscribed to. If this file does not exist, an error message of ** Empty List ** will appear when you try to view your newsgroups. If this occurs, exit Pine by typing and copy the default .newsrc file into your account by typing the following at the Unix prompt:
- cp /usr/usc/skel/.newsrc
Reading Articles
From the main menu, select for Folder List. Pine will give you the option to read e-mail (Folder-collection) or newsgroups (News-collection). Select and Pine will then display the newsgroups you are subscribed to. Use the arrow keys to select a newsgroup and press . Once you select a newsgroup, you will see an index that lists all the articles available in the newsgroup. Use the arrow keys to select an article and press . While viewing or highlighting an article or newsgroup, you can move around using the following keystrokes:
- (previous) : moves to the previous article/group
- (next) : moves to the next article/newsgroup
- : moves down one page
- : moves up one page
- (index) : returns to the article index
- (list) : returns to the Folder List
- (main) : returns to the Main menu
Subscribing to Newsgroups
To subscribe to a new newsgroup, while viewing the list of newsgroups, type for add. Then type in the name of the newsgroup you wish to subscribe to. If you don't know the name of a newsgroup, type to subscribe to a newsgroup, then type to get a list of all the available newsgroups or, to get a list of all newgroups matching a partial name, type in a substring and press . To unsubscribe from a newsgroup, highlight the newsgroup using the arrow keys and type for delete.
Posting Articles
While viewing a newsgroup index, type for compose. You will be asked if you want to post to the current newsgroup. Respond by typing for yes. The Pico editor will be invoked for you to compose your article. First, fill in the following header fields:
Newsgrps: This should automatically be filled in. You can add other newsgroups; they must be separated by commas.
Attchmnt: Leave this blank or type the names of any files you want to send as an attachment.
Subject: Type a brief description of your article.
Once you have filled in the header fields, you can type your article below the --Message Text-- bar. When done, type to post the article to the newsgroup. A copy of the article is automatically kept in your sent-mail folder.
Replying to Articles
While viewing an article, you have the options of replying to the author of the article, posting a reply to the newsgroup or both. Start by typing an for reply. You will be asked if you would to include the original message in the reply. Then you will be asked whether you want to follow up to newsgroup (type ), reply via e-mail to author (type ) or both (type ). The Pico editor will be invoked for you to compose your reply. When you are done, type to send your reply.
Forwarding an Article
To e-mail an article to someone, while viewing or highlighting an article, type for forward. The Pico editor will be invoked for you to fill in the header fields. You can also type in some additional text below the --Message Text-- bar. The original message will appear below your text. When you are done, type to send your message.
Saving Articles
You have two options for saving an article. First, you can save an article to a folder in Pine. To do this, while viewing or highlighting an article, type for save. You will be prompted for a folder name. Once you type in a folder name, the article will be appended to the specified folder. If the folder doesn't exist, one will be created. To read folders containing previously saved articles, from the main menu, select for "Folder List" and then highlight
Second, you can save an article as a text file in your home directory. To do this, while viewing or highlighting an article, type for export. You will be prompted for a filename. Once you type in a filename, the article will be saved to the specified file in your home directory.
Printing Articles
First you must tell Pine where you want to print. From the Main menu, select for Setup and then type for Printer. If you want to print to one of the networked printers on campus, highlight then type and enter a name for the printer and a print command. For example, to print to the Leavey Library printers you might use:
- Enter printer name: Leavey
- Enter command for printer: lpr -Pps_lvlg40
Type printers at the Unix prompt to see a list of the available printers on campus.
If you are using a modem or telnet to connect to your Unix account and you want to print to a local printer attached to your PC or Mac, highlight Once you have highlighted your choice, type to make your choice the default and then type to exit the configuration screen. Once the default printer has been configured, while viewing or highlighting a message, type to print it.
Deleting Articles
To delete an article, while viewing or highlighting an article, type for delete. The article will be marked for deletion and automatically deleted when you quit Pine. To immediately expunge all articles marked for deletion, type . To undelete an article, while viewing or highlighting an article, type for undelete.
Including a Signature
From the Main menu, select for Setup and then type for Signature. Type in the text for your signature and then type to exit. Your signature cannot be more than four lines or your article will be rejected.
Quitting Pine
To quit Pine, type for quit.
Getting Help
You can find documentation for Pine as an e-mail client at http://www.usc.edu/its/doc/internet/email/pine.
For more help, select from the Main menu.
If you have any questions regarding these settings, please call the Customer Support Center at (213) 740-5555 or e-mail consult@usc.edu.
Last Updated: Friday, June 02, 2006 at 12:07PM PDT