Screen.


ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk/pub/gnu/screen/
for a start. Go, get. Make. Install. IIRC, default options are ok.

run it with something like "screen"

You can run "screen -r" to reattach it. I'm saying this first... as soon
as you break it the first time, this is what you want to know (=

Right.

You've now got this thing whereby you push ctrl+a to get it into "do
that funky screen thing" mode, and then push other things to make it
do that funky thang. You're allowed to do one thing at a time, so
after doing a ctrl+a, A, you need to push ctrl+a again before you can
do anything else. Did that make sense?

Pushing w gets you a list of windows available.
Pushing c gives you a new window
Pushing a is like sending a ctrl+a to the current window.
Pushing A give that window a new name. [short for alias]

Pushing n, p, go to the next, previous window. n is also equivalient to
  the space bar, and IIRC bckspc also works for p
Pushing d is the detatch button. Don't use this ever - just shut the
  terminal you're using.
Pushing a number takes you to that window [windows are numbered and
  named if you push w]
Pushing ctrl+a is like push alt-tab once; it remembers the last window
  you were in, before this one. ie, ctrl+a,ctrl+a switches you between
  two windows.
Do no accidentally push D. What that does is an exercise left to the
  user.

Funky.

So we've got navigating. Don't forget the traditional RTFM. All these
keys are configurable.

Useful one:
K
It destroys a window in a violent way.

Right.

So, we can make up a new screen, fuck with it lots, then detatch it.
You're allowed multiple screens, but I have thusly far not found a way
to attatch the windows in one and the windows in another into a single
screen.

Right.

so, say for example you do this:
[Hercules:/s/ug/gjb105/]$ s -list
There are screens on:
        29441.pts-49.Hercules   (Attached)
        1798.pts-32.Hercules    (Detached)
2 Sockets in /tmp/uscreens/S-gjb105.

[Hercules:/s/ug/gjb105/]$

[I have s symlinked to screen because I'm that lazy]

To reattatch one, do an "s -r 29441" for example.

Say that NT goes blue, you do an "s -list" and it shows you that a
screen is still attatched. you can "s -d 29441" which detatches it.
Imagine if you left a screen attatched when you locked your
worskstation at work, then went home and wanted to use it.

you can do an "s -d -r 29441"

and it'll detactch that one, then reattatch it. funky.

there's a -S option, IIRC, that let's you name screens or something,
but I haven't had a play with it very much. RTFM.

Right.

So, you've got the most important bits working.

Next.
push ctrl+a, then [
puts it in copy mode
move about using vi keys. you've got the cursor buttons, hjkl, GHLM,
and pretty much all the rest. There's ? for search backwards, and /
for searching forwards. Lots of other things I can't be bothered to go
into.

Push space when you get to one end of where you want to copy. Push
space when you reach the other.

Then, when you want to paste, do a ctrl+a, ]

You can do rectangular copys, too; c and C. Just have a play. Pushing
"c" marks the current spot as the far left of the copying rectangle,
and pushing "C" marks the far right.


Next, something I've only just learnt about: Split windows.

I've never felt the urge to learn this in the past, but now I have
[20 mins ago], I think it's definitely worth writing about.

While you're in a screen, hit ctrl+A then S

See how the bottom half the the window is now empty? That's another
window. Easy.
You switch between windows by hitting ctrl+A then tab. [or ctrl+tab]. Once
you're in this new window at the bottom [with nothing in it], you can
then do normal switchy-between-windows things in there. I the setup I
use involves IRC in one half and my mail in another. The windows are the
same ones you have already. Until you hit ctrl+a tab again, it's as if
you're in a completely different screen - that's attatched to the same
windows as the other one.

To rejoin windows together, use the "Q" function [in the help as "only"].

You /want/ to learn this app.