FORTUNE

Section: Games and Demos (6)
Updated: 31 Apr, 1987
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NAME

fortune - print a random, hopefully interesting, adage  

SYNOPSIS

/usr/games/fortune [ - ] [ -wslaoi ] [ -m pattern ] [ file ]  

DESCRIPTION

When fortune is run with no arguments it prints out a random epigram. The flags mean:

-w
Wait before termination for an amount of time calculated from the number of characters in the message. This is useful if it is executed as part of the logout procedure to guarantee that the message can be read before the screen is cleared.
-s
Short apothegms only.
-l
Long dictums only.
-o
Choose from an alternate list of aphorisms, often used for potentially offensive ones.
-a
Choose from either list of maxims.
-m
Print out all fortunes which match the regular expression pattern . See regex(3) or regcmp(3) for description of patterns.
-i
Ignore case for -m patterns.

The user may specify a file of sayings. This file must be created by strfile(8), and be given by the user as file. Only one such file may be named; if more are, fortune uses the last one specified.  

FILES

/usr/games/lib/fortunes.dat  

AUTHOR

Ken Arnold  

SEE ALSO

regex(3), regcmp(3), strfile(8)


 

Index

NAME
SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
FILES
AUTHOR
SEE ALSO

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