324cef61d5
Efinger is a client for the Finger protocol (RFC 1288) with an Elfeed-inspired reader. Configure a list of accounts once and browse their .plan files from a two-pane interface: an account list on one side and the fingered content on the other. Move with n/p to preview each account, RET to read one in full, l to go back to the list and q to close both panes. M-x efinger-finger fingers a single account on demand. Connections are asynchronous (:nowait) with a configurable timeout, so Emacs never freezes when a host resolves but never answers on port 79. The finger core is forked from GNU Emacs' net-utils.el (by Peter Breton) and rewritten around an asynchronous connection.
206 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
206 lines
9.1 KiB
Markdown
# Efinger for Emacs
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A client for the [Finger protocol](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1288.html) (RFC 1288) with an [Elfeed](https://github.com/skeeto/elfeed)-inspired reader for Emacs.
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Requires Emacs 28.1 or later.
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Finger, born at Stanford in 1971, is arguably the first social network: your whole profile lives in a plain-text `.plan` file that anyone can read with `finger you@your-host`. John Carmack famously kept his DOOM/Quake development diary this way. Efinger lets you keep a list of accounts and browse their `.plan` files from a two-pane interface, the same way you follow feeds in Elfeed. For the story behind the protocol, see [Finger: la red social de 1971](https://andros.dev/blog/79c99190/finger-la-red-social-de-1971-que-nunca-llego-a-morir/).
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## How it works
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```
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Emacs Finger servers (TCP 79)
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+---------------------+
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| *efinger* | n / p +----------------------+
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| ------------------ |------ move -->| happynetbox.com |
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| >random@happynetbox | | thebackupbox.net |
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| Carmack diary | RET / l | your own fingerd |
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| ring@thebackupbox |<-- enter/back | |
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+----------+----------+ +----------+-----------+
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v preview | async, :nowait
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+---------------------+ |
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| *efinger .plan* |<-------------------------+
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| the fingered text |
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+---------------------+
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```
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1. You keep a list of finger accounts in `efinger-accounts`.
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2. `M-x efinger` opens the account list next to a content pane.
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3. Moving with `n` / `p` fingers the account under point and previews its `.plan` in the other pane, asynchronously so Emacs never blocks.
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4. `RET` jumps into the content, `l` goes back to the list, `q` closes both panes.
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## Buffers
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### Account list + content (`M-x efinger`)
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```
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Efinger — n/p move · RET open · g refresh · q quit
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┌────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┐
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│ random@happynetbox.com │ johnc@idsoftware.com │
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│ Carmack diary │ ───────────────────────────────────── │
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│ ring@thebackupbox.net │ │
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│ me@happynetbox.com │ -------------------------------------- │
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│ │ John Carmack's .plan for Aug 18, 1997 │
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│ │ -------------------------------------- │
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│ │ │
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│ │ I get asked about the DOOM source code │
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│ │ every once in a while, so here is a │
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│ │ full status update: │
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│ │ ... │
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└────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
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```
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### Single account (`M-x efinger-finger`)
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```
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.plan — l back · n/p next/prev · g refresh · q quit
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random@happynetbox.com
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──────────────────────
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Emily Carter
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Marine biologist. Coffee, kayaks and old maps.
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--- 2026-08-14 ---
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Back from sampling on the coast. Three jars of plankton to review.
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```
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## Features
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- **Account list**: keep your finger accounts in `efinger-accounts` and browse them in a dedicated buffer, the way Elfeed lists feeds.
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- **Live preview**: move with `n` / `p` and the `.plan` under point is fingered and shown in the content pane automatically.
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- **Two-pane reader**: `RET` enters the content pane to read and scroll, `l` returns to the list, `q` closes both.
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- **Asynchronous connections**: connections use `:nowait`, so Emacs never freezes even when a host resolves but never answers on port 79 (the common case today).
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- **Connection timeout**: a stalled connection is abandoned after `efinger-connection-timeout` seconds with a clear message, instead of hanging.
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- **Graceful errors**: refused or timed-out connections are reported in the content pane, never as a backtrace.
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- **One-off finger**: `M-x efinger-finger` fingers a single `user@host` in its own buffer.
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- **Configurable layout**: list on the left and content on the right (`horizontal`), or list on top and content below (`vertical`).
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- **Ports and listing**: targets accept an optional `:port`; omitting the user (`host` or `@host`) asks the server to list every user.
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- **UTF-8**: replies are decoded as UTF-8, so accents and box drawing render correctly.
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## Keymap
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### Account list (`efinger-list-mode`)
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| Key | Description |
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|-------|------------------------------------------|
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| `n` | Move to next account and preview it |
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| `p` | Move to previous account and preview it |
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| `RET` | Enter the content pane for this account |
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| `g` | Re-finger the account at point |
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| `G` | Rebuild the list from `efinger-accounts`|
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| `q` | Close both panes |
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### Content pane (`efinger-plan-mode`)
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| Key | Description |
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|-------|------------------------------------------|
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| `l` | Back to the account list |
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| `n` | Preview next account (stay in content) |
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| `p` | Preview previous account (stay in content)|
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| `g` | Re-finger the current account |
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| `q` | Close both panes |
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| `SPC` / `DEL` | Scroll the content up / down |
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## Installation
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### MELPA
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```
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M-x package-install RET efinger RET
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```
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### use-package with :vc (Emacs 29+)
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```elisp
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(use-package efinger
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:vc (:url "https://git.andros.dev/andros/efinger.el"
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:rev :newest)
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:config
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(setq efinger-accounts
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'("random@happynetbox.com"
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("Backup Box ring" "ring@thebackupbox.net"))))
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```
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### use-package with :load-path
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For manual installation or Emacs < 29:
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```elisp
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(use-package efinger
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:load-path "/path/to/efinger.el"
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:config
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(setq efinger-accounts
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'("random@happynetbox.com"
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("Backup Box ring" "ring@thebackupbox.net"))))
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```
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### Manual
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Clone the repository and place the file in a directory on your `load-path`:
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```sh
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git clone https://git.andros.dev/andros/efinger.el.git
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```
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Then add to your init file:
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```elisp
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(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/efinger.el")
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(require 'efinger)
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(setq efinger-accounts
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'("random@happynetbox.com"
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("Backup Box ring" "ring@thebackupbox.net")))
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```
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## Usage
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1. Set `efinger-accounts` in your init file. Each entry is either a
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`"[user@]host[:port]"` string or a `(LABEL "[user@]host[:port]")` list.
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2. Run `M-x efinger` to open the reader.
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3. Move with `n` / `p` to preview each account, `RET` to read one in full,
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`l` to return to the list and `q` to quit.
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4. Or run `M-x efinger-finger` to finger a single account on demand.
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Public servers you can try today: `random@happynetbox.com`,
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`benbrown@happynetbox.com` and `ring@thebackupbox.net`.
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## Customization
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Run `M-x customize-group RET efinger RET` to list all available options.
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Key options:
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- `efinger-accounts`: the accounts shown in the reader.
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- `efinger-port` (default `79`): default finger TCP port.
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- `efinger-connection-timeout` (default `10`): seconds before a stalled
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connection is abandoned; `nil` waits indefinitely.
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- `efinger-forward-host` (default `nil`): send `user@host` instead of just
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`user` (finger forwarding, for old daemons).
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- `efinger-layout` (default `horizontal`): `horizontal` (list left, content
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right) or `vertical` (list top, content bottom).
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- `efinger-list-width` (default `40`): list width in columns (horizontal).
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- `efinger-list-height` (default `12`): list height in lines (vertical).
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## The Finger protocol
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Finger is minimal: the client opens a TCP connection to port 79 of the server,
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sends a single line (the user name, or an empty line to list everyone)
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terminated by CRLF, and the server replies with plain text and closes the
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connection. No encryption, no headers, no sessions. You can speak it by hand:
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```sh
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echo "random" | nc happynetbox.com 79
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```
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## Contributing
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Contributions are welcome! Please see the [contribution guidelines](https://git.andros.dev/andros/contribute) for instructions on how to submit issues or pull requests.
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## License
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This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
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This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
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You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/).
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