+.TH NOTES 1 "May 10, 1986" "University of Illinois"
+.SH NAME
+notes,
+autoseq,
+readnotes \- a news system
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+.B notes
+[
+.B \-sxin
+] [
+.B "-o"
+.I date-spec
+] [
+.B "-a"
+subsequencer
+]
+[
+.B "\-t"
+termtype
+]
+[
+.B "-f"
+file
+]
+topic1
+[ ... ]
+.PP
+.B autoseq
+[
+.B "-a"
+subsequencer
+]
+.PP
+.B readnotes
+[
+.B "-a"
+subsequencer
+]
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.I Notes
+supports computer managed discussion forums.
+It coordinates access to and updates of data bases of notes and their
+responses.
+A single
+.I notesfile
+contains an ordered list of
+.I "base notes,"
+each of which may have an ordered list of responses associated with it.
+A
+.I "note string"
+consists of a
+.I "base note"
+and all of its responses.
+Separate
+.I notesfiles
+contain discussions on separate subject matters; microcomputers might
+be discussed in a
+``micronotes'' notesfile while
+bicycling enthusiasts make their comments in a ``bicycle'' notesfile.
+.PP
+The
+.B \-s
+option signals
+.I notes
+to use the automatic sequencer.
+With the sequencer enabled,
+.I notes
+shows the new notes and responses since your last entry into
+that notesfile.
+With the sequencer enabled by
+.B \-s
+the notes program will not enter notesfiles which have no new text.
+Specify
+.B \-x
+to use the sequencer and enter notesfiles even if they have no new
+text.
+The
+.B \-i
+and
+.B \-n
+options are still more sequencing modes,
+.B \-i
+is similar to
+.B \-s
+but shows the index page instead of the first modified note.
+.B \-n
+turns the sequencer off.
+.PP
+The
+.B -o
+option helps users find articles that are vaguely remembered
+with terms such as ``some note in the last 3 days in one of
+several notesfiles''.
+These can be found with a command like:
+
+ notes -o "3 days ago" nf1 nf2 nf3
+
+which sequences past all articles written in
+notesfiles ``nf1'', ``nf2'', and ``nf3'' in the last 3 days.
+The user's timestamps are not updated.
+.PP
+The
+.B "-a"
+option specifies a
+.IR "subsequencer" "."
+This allows several people sharing the same signon to
+maintain their own sequencer file.
+The actual sequencer name is generated by concatenating the
+user name and the subsequencer name.
+It is recommended that subsequencer names be unique within the
+first 6 characters.
+.PP
+Specify
+.B "\-t"
+.I termtype
+to override the TERM environment variable.
+This switch is primarily for V6 systems.
+.PP
+The
+.B "-f"
+option directs
+.I notes
+to read the contents of
+a file
+for a list of notesfiles to scan.
+This file and the directories must be readable by the notesfile
+user id.
+.PP
+The
+topic list
+specifies which notesfiles are to be scanned.
+The notesfiles are scanned from left to right; upon finishing the
+first topic, the second is entered.
+The shell's meta-characters are recognized within a topic
+but must be escaped to prevent shell interpretation.
+Specifying ``net.*'' will yield all the notesfiles with the
+prefix ``net.''.
+Specify ``*unix*'' to read all notesfiles with the string ``unix'' in
+their names.
+Bracket and question mark constructs are also recognized.
+.PP
+Notesfile names are parsed such that a notesfile will be entered
+only once no matter how many times it is listed on the command
+line and in any files specified by the
+.B -f
+option.
+Notesfiles can also be excluded by prefixing their names with
+a `!'. Thus to see all notesfiles except ``general'', one might
+type:
+
+ notes "*" !general
+
+.PP
+The
+.I autoseq
+and
+.I readnotes
+commands allow sequencing through a list of notesfiles with the sequencer
+enabled using with a single command.
+.I Autoseq
+and
+.I Readnotes
+function identically.
+They are
+syntactically equivalent to
+``notes -s $NFSEQ''.
+The environment variable NFSEQ contains a comma separated
+list of notesfile specifications.
+A typical
+.I NFSEQ
+definition for the Bourne shell
+looks like:
+
+NFSEQ=``general,announce,net.*,bicycle,srg,:/usr/essick/nflist''.
+
+Specifications beginning with a `:' specify a file to read
+for more notesfile names.
+In the previous example, the last specification reads the
+contents of the file `/usr/essick/nflist' for more notesfile
+specifications. Many of these can appear in the
+.I NFSEQ
+variable.
+.PP
+Notes and responses are entered by using an editor. The default editor is
+.IR "ed" (1).
+This can be changed by setting one of the environment variables
+.I NFED
+or
+.I EDITOR.
+.I Notes
+looks for
+.I NFED
+before looking for
+.I EDITOR,
+allowing users to use different editors for writing notes and
+for other tools.
+.PP
+Some commonly used commands within the notesfile system are listed below:
+.TP 10
+space
+Show the next page of the note/response.
+.TP 10
+;
+Go the next response, if there are no more responses go to the next note.
+.TP 10
+-
+Go to the previous page of the current note/response.
+From the first page of a response, go to the previous response
+(or the base note from the first response).
+From the first page of a base note, go to the previous note.
+.TP 10
+newline
+Go to the next note.
+.TP 10
+j
+Jump to the next unread note/response (when using sequencer).
+.TP 10
+J
+Jump to the next unread note, ignoring any further responses in the current
+note string (when using sequencer).
+.TP 10
+w
+When issued from the index page enters a new note.
+When entered from a note/response display enters a response.
+A capital-W will include the text of the currently displayed note/response
+in the new response.
+.TP 10
+q
+Leave the current notesfile.
+.TP 10
+Q
+Leave the current notesfile without updating the sequencer information.
+.TP 10
+control-d
+Return to the shell, ignoring any further notesfiles in the current
+invocation.
+No sequencer information is updated.
+.TP 10
+x
+Search for a note with the (prompted for) string in its title.
+Capital-X asks for a new search string, otherwise the last entered
+string is used.
+.TP 10
+s
+Saves the currently displayed note/response at the end of a (prompted for)
+file.
+Capital-S saves the entire note string.
+.TP 10
+M
+Sends the text of the note/response displayed and
+your comments to another user(s).
+The P command routes the letter to the author of
+the note/response.
+.TP 10
+t
+Issues a write(1) command to the author of the currently displayed
+note/response.
+No action is taken if the note originated on a remote system or
+is anonymous.
+.TP 10
+!
+Forks a shell.
+.PP
+Only the
+.I "notesfile owner"
+can create new notesfiles.
+The
+.I "notesfile owner"
+will create the notesfile and turn control over to
+the person requesting the notesfile.
+This person is the
+.I "notesfile director;"
+he may designate others to also be
+.I "notesfile directors."
+The
+.I "notesfile director"
+has special privileges including:
+deleting any note,
+determining policy for the notesfile,
+permitting anonymous notes,
+and
+determining accessibility of the notesfile.
+.PP
+An interface is provided to
+.IR news (1).
+Transfers in both directions are supported.
+See
+.IR newsoutput (8)
+and the
+.ul
+Notesfile Reference Manual
+for more information on this facility.
+.PP
+Facilities for mailing to notesfiles (
+.IR nfmail (8)
+), networking notesfiles (
+.IR nfxmit (8)
+), printing notesfiles (
+.IR nfprint (1)
+), archiving old notes (
+.IR nfarchive (8)
+), and
+several user routines (
+.IR nfabort (3)
+and
+.IR nfcomment (3)
+) exist.
+.PP
+The concept of a
+notesfile
+was taken from the PLATO system (a trademark of Control Data Corporation)
+designed at the University of Illinois
+to provide automated teaching capabilities.
+.SH FILES
+.PD 0
+.TP 45
+/etc/passwd
+for the users name
+.TP 45
+/etc/group
+for the users group(s)
+.TP 45
+/etc/termcap
+for terminal capabilites
+.TP 45
+/usr/spool/notes
+the default notesfile data base
+.TP 45
+/usr/spool/notes/.utilities
+utility programs and online help
+.TP 45
+/usr/spool/notes/.sequencer/\fIuser\fP
+Sequencing timestamps for
+.I user.
+.TP 45
+/usr/spool/notes/.sequencer/\fIuser\fP:\fIsubsequencer\fP
+Sub-sequencing timestamps for
+.I user.
+.PD
+.SH SEE ALSO
+checknotes(1),
+ed(1),
+mknf(8),
+news(1),
+newsoutput(8),
+nfabort(3),
+nfaccess(8),
+nfarchive(8),
+nfmail(8),
+nfpipe(1),
+nfprint(1),
+nfstats(1),
+nfxmit(8),
+nfcomment(3),
+notes(8),
+termcap(3),
+write(1),
+.br
+.ul
+The Notesfile Reference Manual
+.SH AUTHORS
+.nf
+Ray Essick (uiucdcs!essick, essick%uiuc@csnet-relay.arpa)
+Department of Computer Science
+University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
+Urbana, IL
+.sp
+Rob Kolstad (kolstad@convex.UUCP)
+CONVEX Computer Corporation
+Richardson, TX
+.fi
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