% This is a very short (2 pages) quick guide to Athena
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\Large An Inessential\footnote{SIPB Documents are traditionally called
``Inessential,'' even when they contain useful information.}\ Quick
Reference to Athena
\end{center}

\section{Introduction}

This short document was prepared by the Student Information Processing
Board (SIPB) at MIT.  The SIPB is a volunteer group of students who
help computer users at MIT and work on computer-related projects.
Our office is on the fifth floor of the Student Center (W20-557), next
to the Athena cluster, and our phone number is x3-7788.  Please stop by
or call if you have any questions.

This is not even close to a complete guide to Athena.  This document
is simply the least you need to know to use Athena.  The best source
of further information is online at \t{http://web.mit.edu/olc/} and
\t{http://stuff.mit.edu/sipb/docs/}. Printed copies of these documents
are also avaialble from CopyTech and the SIPB office.

\section{Logging In and Out}

When you type your username and password in the login window, you will
be ``logged in'' to Athena.  While you are logged in you can read and
send e-mail, write papers, play games, browse the web, and lots more.
When you are done with your session, left-click the mouse on the ``EXIT''
button at the bottom of the screen to log out. Don't turn the machine off;
once you have logged out, the workstation is ready for the next user,
and the computer no longer has access to your data and personal records.

The large window on the bottom-right side of your screen is a
``terminal.''  This is a program that allows you to enter commands under
Athena.  You can start another terminal by clicking the \athena\ icon near
the bottom-left of the screen. You can have as many terminals as you want.

\section{Your Password}

If you want to change your password, click inside the terminal and type
the line \t{passwd} at the \athena\ prompt.

\textbf{You can never be too careful with your password}. Since you
are legally responsible for anything done with your account, and your
password lets you access your confidential records, use a password that
is hard for humans and computers to guess, do not use the same password
elsewhere, and log out when you are done with a computer.

\section{Directories and Lockers}

Your information is stored in \i{files}, which are stored in
\i{directories}.  You can also have \i{subdirectories} within other
directories to keep your files organized.

The \i{locker} system allows you to use the same directories on all Athena
workstations. Lockers exist for all users as well as most organizations.
When you \i{attach} a locker, it will be available inside the directory
\t{/mit}.  Your own locker, also known as your ``home directory'', is
named after your username (e.g., \t{/mit/jruser}). Because of the locker
system, your home directory and therefore your files can be accessed
on any workstation, and none of your personal files are stored on the
workstation itself.

To use programs in a locker, type \t{add} followed by the locker name at
the \athena\ prompt. For example, you can type \t{add matlab} and then
\t{matlab} (on the next line) to run Matlab. If you just want to use
files, you can use \t{attach} instead. For example, typing \t{attach
shakespeare} will let you access the Bard's plays and sonnets under
\t{/mit/shakespeare}.

To change your current directory, type \t{cd} followed by the name of
the directory you want to go to (for example, \t{cd /mit/shakespeare}. If
you just type \t{cd} by itself, you'll go back to your home directory.

\section{Subdirectories}

You can create subdirectories by typing \t{mkdir} followed by the name
you want to call the directory (e.g., \t{mkdir funstuff}). You can move
into this directory with the \t{cd} (Change Directory) command.

By default, people can list filenames but not view the files
themselves. In the \t{Private} directory, others cannot list files; in
the \t{Public} and \t{www}\footnote{Any files in your \t{www} directory
are also available on the web at \t{http://www.mit.edu/~}\i{username}.}
directories, everyone can view the files. Another useful directory is
\t{OldFiles}, which contains a backup of yesterday's files. All of these
subdirectories are in your locker automatically.

\section{Listing, Copying, and Deleting (Removing) Files}

The easiest way to view files is using ``Nautilus'', the GNOME file browser.
Double-click the icon labeled ``\i{your username}'s Home'' at the top-left
of your screen. This will bring up a window with icons for all the files in
your home directory. Double-click on an icon to open the file or directory.
You can move files by dragging them (hold down the mouse button). To delete
a file, drag it to the Trash icon on the desktop. You can undelete a file
by dragging it back.

If you want to use the Athena prompt, which is sometimes faster, you can
list the files with \t{ls} (or \t{ls -l} for more detail). To copy
a file from one name to another, type \t{cp} followed by the old name and
the new name (e.g., \t{cp paper paper-backup}). When you want to get rid
of a file, you can use the \t{delete} command (e.g., \t{delete junk}).
If you made a mistake, the \t{undelete} command will bring your file
back if you do it within around 3 days (e.g., \t{undelete junk}).

You have a quota of one gigabyte (about a million kilobytes) of data.
If you receive a message saying you are nearing your quota, you will
not be able to save any new large files, and may have trouble logging
in. If you are nearing your quota, you will need to use \t{rm} to delete
files permanently. You cannot undelete a file deleted with \t{rm}. You
should also right-click on the Trash icon and click ``Empty Trash.'' 


\section{Web Browsing}

You can use the Firefox browser on Athena by clicking the ``WWW'' icon at
the bottom left. Click the button only once; it may take up to a minute
to start on some computers.

For most of the websites at MIT, instead of logging in, you use an ``MIT
certificate''. You can get one by going to \t{web.mit.edu/ist/cert} and
clicking on both ``Get'' links. This will securely store your certificate
inside your Athena account. (Note that Firefox will ask you to create
a master password, to encrypt your certificate, after you tell MIT your
Kerberos password. You should avoid using the same password.)

\section{Mail}

If you have mail, you will see a message in the ``Console'' window when
you log in. The recommended way to check your e-mail is with Evolution,
which you can start with the \t{Mail} button at the bottom-left.
Evolution works similarly to mail clients you may have used before.

Two other ways are Webmail and Pine. Although Webmail is not as powerful
as the other two, you can use it from any computer (as well as Athena)
by visiting \t{http://webmail.mit.edu/}. If you prefer the command line,
you may like Pine, which you can use by typing \t{pine} at a terminal.

\section{Creating and editing documents}

To view or edit plain-text files on Athena, the easiest option is to type
\t{gedit}, followed by the name of the file, followed by an ampersand
(e.g., \t{gedit \i{filename} \&}). You need the ampersand on most Athena
programs that bring up a window, or you will not get your \athena\
prompt back until you close the program.

Another tool for editing plain text files is Emacs, which has a bit of
a learning curve but is far more powerful than \t{gedit}. To get started
with Emacs, click the Emacs button at the bottom of the screen, and then
open the tutorial from the Help menu.

For formatted documents, including word processing, spreadsheets, and
presentations, you can use the OpenOffice.org package. This software is
compatible with Microsoft Office files as well as the OpenDocument format.
You can run OpenOffice.org by clicking the footprint icon labeled
``Menu'', at the bottom left, and selecting ``Editing/Publishing'',
``Office Productivity Suites'', and ``Open Office''.

When you are writing theses or scientific papers, most departments will
want you to use \LaTeX instead. For more information on using \LaTeX,
read SIPB's ``Inessential Guide to \LaTeX'', available online or from
our office.

\section{Learning More about Athena}

The following resources are available:

\begin{tabular}{ll}
\textbf{Resource} & \textbf{How to Use} \\ \hline
Pocket Guide to Athena & 
Athena Documentation & Type \t{help} at the \athena\ prompt or visit \t{http://web.mit.edu/olc/}. \\
On-Line Consultants & Type \t{olc} at the \athena\ prompt. \\
Athena Consultants & Call x3-4435 or stop by N42.  \\
Athena Accounts & Call x3-1325 or visit N42 for help with accounts or passwords. \\
Manual Pages & Type \t{man} and the command you want to look up (e.g., \t{man ls}). \\
SIPB & Call x3-7788, stop by W20-557, or e-mail \t{sipb@mit.edu}.
\end{tabular}

You can also ask other users for help online, by using Zephyr. Type
\t{zctl sub help \\*} to join the ``help'' class, and then use \t{zwrite
-c help -i} \i{topic} (where \i{topic} is a one-word description, such
as \t{emacs}) to ask your questions. Although this is an unofficial
service with no guarantees, chances are you will get a correct answer.

\smallskip

\noindent {\tiny Version 1.3 by amgreene 18-Oct-89; Version 1.4 by
amgreene 21-Aug-90; Version 1.5 by sorokin 3-Oct-93; Version 2.0 by
geofft 7-Oct-06.}

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