Message of the day

On many time-sharing systems, the contents of the message of the day are fetched from a system file: The contents of the special file are displayed after the user logs in successfully, typically before the login shell is started.

[6] Newer Unix-like systems may generate the message dynamically when the host boots or a user logs in.

[7] Various server-based PC games display messages of the day, including Half-Life, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and Battlefield.

They may be personalized, encouraging users to try new features or make in-game purchases.

[8] Some IRC servers also display a message of the day on login.