Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > linux.debian.user > #180271

Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication?

Show all headers | View raw

On Wed 19 Apr 2017 at 08:25:31 (-0500), Richard Owlett wrote:
> On 04/19/2017 06:59 AM, Peter Ludikovsky wrote:
> >On 04/19/2017 01:40 PM, Richard Owlett wrote:
> >>I've an idea for something to be added to some man pages.
> >>It has not risen even the "wishlist bug" stage yet.
> >>To rise that far I have to convince myself that the modification of so
> >>many existing man pages could be automated.
> >>
> >>A web search turned up very low level details but not the need overview.
> >>Suggestions?
> >>TIA
> >
> >1) What do you want to do? I'm asking this because it decides whether
> >this change could be interesting for others or not.
> 
> I debated mentioning the items that triggered my question. I'm not
> personally convinced that a man page would be the optimal place for
> the specific items.

Then forget it. If you can't even convince yourself, you're hardly
likely to convince others. So how are you going to drive this through?

> I phrased the subject line as I did because I
> have a long term felling that man pages aren't perfect ;/

You kicked off _that_ debate last November.

> But maybe
> the imperfection is more in me for not seeing that information
> really does not belong in a man page.
> 
> I think it 'should' be of interest to others. But considering
> answers I've gotten on other topics, I may be representative of a
> small minority.

On the face of it, that seems very likely. Most posts you make here
appear to be so bound by preconditions that they hardly have general
applicability.

> >2) Does it affect only Debian-specific man pages, or man pages in
> >general? This answer decides if the change is a relatively small
> >one (1 or 2 packages), or if you'll have to contact every upstream
> >project to get the changes included.
> 
> For want of a better term, they might be considered to be "Debian
> specific footnotes
> 
> >3) For any change you want to do & submit an patch for you should read
> >up on groff/troff, as that syntax is the base for man.
> 
> That was one of the specifics that triggered mention of "very low
> level details".

I've no idea what that means.


Keep those cards close to your chest...

Cheers,
David.

Back to linux.debian.user | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2017-04-19 13:50 +0200
  Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? Peter Ludikovsky <peter@ludikovsky.name> - 2017-04-19 14:10 +0200
    Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? Richard Owlett <rowlett@cloud85.net> - 2017-04-19 15:30 +0200
      Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? David Wright <deblis@lionunicorn.co.uk> - 2017-04-19 15:50 +0200
      Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? rhkramer@gmail.com - 2017-04-20 14:50 +0200
  Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-19 15:50 +0200
  Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2017-04-19 17:10 +0200
  Re: Debian man pages - mechanics of creation/publication? Ben Finney <bignose@debian.org> - 2017-04-20 01:10 +0200

csiph-web