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Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way

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From Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us>
Newsgroups comp.os.linux.misc
Subject Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way
Date Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:29:12 -0500
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Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote this post by blinking in Morse code:

> For those who prefer a GUI approach to viewing man pages
> <https://www.zdnet.com/article/my-2-favorite-tools-for-reading-linux-manual-pages-the-easy-way/>:
> both GNOME and KDE offer help-centre apps that can display them.
>
> Also, I long ago discovered that KDE Konqueror (the all-encompassing
> web/file/whatnot browser) and its less-ambitious alternative Dolphin,
> can both view man pages via “man://” URLs, and also GNU info pages via
> “info://” URLs.
>
> And, within one of these Linux groups -- I forget which one -- we
> recently discussed how to put together a command line that will
> display a nicely typeset PDF view of a man page. I tried looking for
> an obvious equivalent to that for info pages, but couldn’t see one.

I have a script (haven't used it in awhile):

#!/bin/bash
#
# Converts a man page to a nice PDF.  Print it using evince (for example).

PSTOPDF=$(which ps2pdf)
SWITCHES="-"

if [ $? == 1 ] ; then

   PSTOPDF=$(which pstopdf)
   SWITCHES="-i -o"

fi

if [ $? == 0 ] ; then

   if [ $# -eq 1 ] ; then

      NAME="$1"

#     man -t $NAME > $NAME.ps ; ps2pdf $NAME.ps $NAME.pdf ; rm $NAME.ps
      man -t "$NAME" | "$PSTOPDF" $SWITCHES "$NAME.pdf" 

   else
      echo "Incorrect number of parameters."
      echo
      echo "Usage:  man2pdf appname"
   fi

else
   echo "? This script requires pstopdf or ps2pdf to be installed."
   echo "  On Debian this is the 'ghostscript' package."
fi

-- 
The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through
three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry, and
Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases.  For
instance, the first phase is characterized by the question "How can we eat?"
the second by "Why do we eat?" and the third by "Where shall we have lunch?".
		-- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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Thread

My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-12 23:20 +0000
  Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-12 23:51 +0000
    Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2025-11-13 11:01 +0000
      Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-13 20:05 +0000
  Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2025-11-13 08:29 -0500
    Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2025-11-13 14:46 +0000
      Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2025-11-13 11:35 -0500
  Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-13 14:56 +0100
    Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2025-11-13 14:54 +0000
      Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-13 23:14 +0100
    Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-13 20:03 +0000
      Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way vallor <vallor@vallor.earth> - 2025-11-13 20:12 +0000
        Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-13 22:23 +0100
          Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-11-15 07:25 +1000
            Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-14 22:58 +0100
              Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2025-11-14 22:12 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-15 00:00 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2025-11-14 23:27 +0000
                fmpeg drift (1) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 00:29 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 00:39 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 03:00 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 02:33 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 15:03 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 21:25 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-17 12:48 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-18 01:00 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (1) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-18 07:22 +0100
                fmpeg drift (2) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 00:34 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2025-11-16 13:34 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 15:19 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) - solved? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 23:56 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) - solved? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-17 00:49 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) - solved? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-17 03:17 +0100
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) - solved? Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-17 02:39 +0000
                Re: fmpeg drift (2) Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 21:21 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Joerg Walther <joerg.walther@magenta.de> - 2025-11-15 09:50 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-15 22:09 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 00:00 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 00:32 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 03:01 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 02:33 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 23:09 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-16 22:41 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2025-11-16 22:45 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Joerg Walther <joerg.walther@magenta.de> - 2025-11-16 11:32 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-11-16 00:26 +0100
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-15 02:35 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-15 02:37 +0000
            Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-15 02:33 +0000
              Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-11-16 07:31 +1000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-15 22:08 +0000
                Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-11-17 07:00 +1000
  Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2025-11-13 18:50 +0000
    Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2025-11-13 19:20 +0000
      Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-11-13 20:12 +0000
        Re: My 2 favorite tools for reading Linux manual pages the easy way Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-11-13 23:32 +0000

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