In article <1995Feb7.085342.38992@miavx1>, [log in to unmask]
writes:
> Can someone offer a suggestion as to why I can no longer
> "talk" with another machine.  It used to work (maybe a year
> ago). Now, if I try "talk  id@blah"  the other user gets
> the message that a call is coming through, but we can't
> connect.  Likewise, if they try to contact me, I get beeped
> with "respond talk/old ....." but we never connect.
 
From your message (especially with the TALK/OLD information) it sounds like
your friend is using a Sun workstation.  Sun has 2 problems with TALK.
First, they use an old version of TALK which uses port 517 instead of port
518.  In addition, Sun systems have their byte order reversed from most
other systems.  The following passage from the Multinet User's Guide
describes the problem:
 
  "You and the person with whom you wish to talk need to be on systems with
   the same byte orders (called "endians").  While this is not easy to
   determine, the easiest rule is that if the other person is using a Sun
   workstation or a terminal connected to one, TALK does not work at their
   end.  Sun users need to use the 'ntalk' command."
 
Have your friend check for an 'ntalk' command on their system.  If they have
this program, have them use that instead of 'talk'.
 
--
                                     Kent Covert, Software Coordinator
                                     Miami Computing and Information Services
                                     Miami University, Oxford, OH
                                     [log in to unmask]  (internet)
                                     kacovert@miavx1                 (bitnet)