In message <Pine.SGI.4.51.0304201104460.798568@guinness.cs.stevens-tech.edu>, Y
asir Malik writes:
>Thank you for replying.
>I'm the only person using my laptop, so shouldn't I be logged in as root?

No -- why should you be?  If nothing else, it's easy to cause damage 
accidentally that way.  (I log in as 'smb' on my laptop, and I have >25 
years of experience with Unix...  I do keep a root window available but 
iconized, but I only do root things in it.)

>I'm sorry, but I am relatively new at Unix and computer stuff.
>Explanation of he beeping sound:  When I am editing a text file, and I go
>past the last line, the beep comes up to tell me that I am at the last
>line.  The beep is scary and annoying.  How do I get rid of it?

I assume you're using 'vi'.  The beep is vi's main error message; I 
don't know any way to disable it.  You may find that the easiest thing 
is to use your laptop's volume or mute controls.  Once you get into X 
-- and that's what you'll have to do for windows, and I fear it's 
complex -- you can select xterm's 'visual bell' option.


		--Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb (me)
		http://www.wilyhacker.com (2nd edition of "Firewalls" book)