away
Lock terminal with an away message
TLDR
Lock terminal and set an away message
$ away [message]
Lock terminal and enable mail check$ away -c message
Lock terminal and disable mail check$ away -C message
Set background task interval in seconds$ away -t seconds message
Lock terminal and persist mail checking until all mailboxes receive mail$ away -p message
SYNOPSIS
away [options] message
DESCRIPTION
away locks the terminal and displays an away message to anyone who sees the screen. It optionally monitors for new mail and can manage background task timing.The terminal remains locked until the user authenticates. The away message is visible to other users who may access the terminal.
PARAMETERS
-c, --mail
Enable checking of mail-C, --nomail
Disable checking of mail-f, --rcfile=FILE
Specify an alternative configuration file instead of ~/.awayrc-F, --norcfile
Ignore user configuration file-m, --message
Treat the remainder of the command line as the message-t, --time=SECONDS
Set the number of seconds away sleeps before performing background tasks-T, --notime
Ignore time interval options and use the default-p, --persist
Continue checking mail as long as at least one mailbox has not received new mail-P, --nopersist
Stop checking mail if any mailbox is found to have new mail-h, --help
Display help information-v, --version
Display version information
CAVEATS
The lock mechanism relies on system authentication. Mail checking requires properly configured mail spool directories. The away message is visible to anyone with physical access to the terminal.
