Install "beep" package from synaptic...
Alert yourself to a command that takes a long time has completed... make ; beep Alert yourself when something noxious appears in a log file.. tail -f /var/log/xferlog | grep --line-buffered 'passwd' | \ beep -f 1000 -r 5 -s John Carter Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639 Tait Electronics Fax : (64)(3) 359 4632 PO Box 1645 Christchurch Email : [EMAIL PROTECTED] New Zealand