Is Finger still used

[Black Mage]

Is the linux service finger still used today or has it been replaced by something else?

[Dr Small]

I still use it occasinally, but generally it isn't installed on distro's due to being a privacy and security breach.

[DMcA]

I still use it occasinally, but generally it isn't installed on distro's due to being a privacy and security breach.

It's present on a stock ubuntu install though, right?

[cleverselfreferentialname]

It's present on a stock ubuntu install though, right?

I don't think so. IIRC, ubuntu doesn't have any network-facing daemons on by default.

[matthew]

I just tested it on my laptop and can confirm that it is installed on my computer, but it only lists who is logged in on my computer and isn't available outside of my system. I can connect over a network to my computer, eg. using ssh, and then finger to see who is on, but I can't use it remotely.

I've always thought finger is only really useful in a closed system with multiple users, and honestly, until today, I hadn't used it in well over 10 years...so take what I am saying with a huge grain of salt. Perhaps there is someone out there who uses it more regularly and can correct anything I have said that is incorrect.

[Foster Grant]

Back in the day, my friends and I amused ourselves by trying to come up with the coolest/funniest/craziest .project and .plan files for our home directories on our university's student e-mail server; finger a username and there was no telling what you might find.

That was a while ago, obviously. :)

I haven't used the finger command in years.

[matthew]

Back in the day, my friends and I amused ourselves by trying to come up with the coolest/funniest/craziest .project and .plan files for our home directories on our university's student e-mail server; finger a username and there was no telling what you might find.

That was a while ago, obviously. :)

I haven't used the finger command in years.LOL. I used to do that as well. We used to change our .plan and .project files all the time trying to one-up each other.

I'm 37. I first used the finger command in 1987. I suddenly feel very old.

[Foster Grant]

LOL. I used to do that as well. We used to change our .plan and .project files all the time trying to one-up each other.

I'm 37. I first used the finger command in 1987. I suddenly feel very old.

You know what's really sad? There are a lot of users reading our posts and asking themselves, "What are .project and .plan files?"

:(

I'm going to go take my Metamucil now. :lolflag:

[Google Spider]

Can anyone please tell me what finger we are talking about? Seems to be interesting.

[Foster Grant]

Can anyone please tell me what finger we are talking about? Seems to be interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_protocol#Finger_user_information_protocol

[bsharp]

You know what's really sad? There are a lot of users reading our posts and asking themselves, "What are .project and .plan files?"

Exactly what I was thinking. Anyway, you learn something new everyday on the Ubuntu Forums :)

[toupeiro]

as a system admin I use the finger command quite a bit. In my own home network I don't use it much.

[matthew]

as a system admin I use the finger command quite a bit. In my own home network I don't use it much.
Yeah, I think that is the difference. In sysadmin duties it can be quite helpful. On a home computer or network, it really isn't necessary.

[kevdog]

finger

What a great command back in the day. I haven't thought about that in years. Worked great in a university setting with many many users. The good old days of DECs.

Finger and pine. Two things I haven't used in years. Although I still use vi (well ok vim).

[Dr Small]

I tried setting it up awhile back on my server for remote usage, but could never get it to work right...