NAME

       xkill - extended kill - kill processes or users, including Usenet posters.

SYNOPSIS

       xkill [-signal] pid ...
       xkill -l
       xkill username[@host] ...
       xkill -u [-qs] [-p] [newsgroup]

DESCRIPTION

       xkill  sends  a  signal to a process or a terminal.  The first two forms send a signal to a process.  The
       functionality in this case is the same as kill(1).

       When the command xkill is invoked with an username as argument, it attempts to locate the specified  user
       on  the  local host.  If the user is logged on, the signal ECUTE (electrocute, 666) is sent to the user's
       terminal.  This will cause the keyboard to electrocute the user.  If the  user  is  not  logged  on,  the
       appropriate  line of the file /etc/passwd is marked.  The first time the user logs on the ECUTE signal is
       sent to the terminal he is using.

       When the command xkill is invoked with a remote username, in the form user@host, a  connection  with  the
       remote host is attempted (see xkilld(8)), to send the ECUTE signal to the user's terminal.

USENET KILL

       The -u (Usenet) option is an extension of the concept of KILL file.

       The  program  will  attempt  to  locate  a remote user by scanning the news spool area.  When the user is
       located, a connection is attempted with the appropriate host, and the ECUTE (electrocute, 666) signal  is
       sent  to the appropriate user.  The search only considers one newsgroup.  If none is specified, rec.humor
       is assumed by default.  The program attempts to locate people whose signature is too long, and who  quote
       a  whole  article  in  order to comment on a single line.  The option -s can be used to consider only the
       size of signatures, while the option -q can be used to consider only the size  of  the  quotations.   The
       option -qs corresponds to the default.

       When the -p (post) switch is used, the user is electrocuted next time he post news.

FILES

       /etc/passwd         to keep track of users marked for electrocution

       /etc/hosts          list of remote hosts

       /usr/spool/news     news spool directory; the news articles are stored here

SEE ALSO

       kill(1), telnet(1c), xkilld(8)

BUGS

       To  kill  a  remote  user, it is sometimes better to use the command telnet(1c) using the standard xkilld
       port (number 666).  When the connection is attempted by xkill(1) some gateways  will  explode  after  the
       user is electrocuted.

       To  decide  what  is  a  quotation, and what is a signature, a very complicated pattern matching is used.
       This does not always work, even if the program hasn't yet electrocuted somebody  who  is  not  guilty  of
       bandwidth waste.

                                                                                                        XKILL(1)