plan file

operating system On Unix systems that support finger,

the ".plan" file in a user's home directory is displayed

when the user is fingered. This feature was originally

intended to be used to keep potential fingerers apprised of

one's location and near-future plans, but has been turned

almost universally to humorous and self-expressive purposes

(like a sig block). See also Hacking X for Y.

A later innovation in plan files was the introduction of

"scrolling plan files" which are one-dimensional animations

made using only the printable ASCII character set, carriagereturn and line feed, avoiding terminal specific escapesequences, since the finger command will (for security

reasons; see letterbomb) not pass the escape character.

Scrolling .plan files have become art forms in miniature, and

some sites have started competitions to find who can create

the longest running, funniest, and most original animations.

A compiler (ASP) is available on Usenet for producing them.

Typical animation components include:

Centipede: mmmmme

Lorry/Truck: oo-oP

Andalusian Video Snail: _@/

In the mid-1990s WWW home pages largely supplanted .plan

files, providing a much richer forum for the publication of

personal minutiae and digital creativity.

See also twirling baton.

[Jargon File]

(1998-01-16)