From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id f8de5ff1 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2020 18:39:30 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id BE6C59B969; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:39:28 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DBCA89B92E; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:39:11 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 8E5989B92E; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:39:09 +1000 (AEST) Received: from fourwinds.com (fourwinds.com [63.64.179.162]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 34B399B92A for ; Tue, 18 Feb 2020 04:39:09 +1000 (AEST) Received: from darkstar.fourwinds.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fourwinds.com (8.15.2/8.15.2) with ESMTPS id 01HId8Al1358076 (version=TLSv1.3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256 verify=NOT) for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2020 10:39:08 -0800 Received: from darkstar.fourwinds.com (jon@localhost) by darkstar.fourwinds.com (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) with ESMTP id 01HId8FT1358073 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2020 10:39:08 -0800 Message-Id: <202002171839.01HId8FT1358073@darkstar.fourwinds.com> From: Jon Steinhart To: tuhs@tuhs.org In-reply-to: <4d252035b323b7583c5760c952d1982c@firemail.de> References: <202002171520.01HFKqKi026749@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> <4d252035b323b7583c5760c952d1982c@firemail.de> Comments: In-reply-to "Thomas Paulsen" message dated "Mon, 17 Feb 2020 19:09:57 +0100." MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-ID: <1358071.1581964748.1@darkstar.fourwinds.com> Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2020 10:39:08 -0800 X-JON-SPAM: local delivery Subject: Re: [TUHS] man Macro Package and pdfmark X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" Thomas Paulsen writes: > >*all* the stuff? Please don't do that literally. The garrulity > >quotient of info pages dwarfs even that of the most excessive > ;-) > >modern man pages. But I appplaud the intent to assure man > >pages are complete. > info pages clearly are redundant. Even worser under linux most of them > visualizing man pages, whereas hardly any man page is missing. > They are emacs style help pages in the tradition of twenex/its, and I tell > you that a few years ago one guy (not me) recommended in the emacs developer > list to replace tekinfo by something modern like .html. > > Thus the question isn't man or tekinfo for linux documentation but html/markup > or or tekinfo for emacs build-in self documentation. I think that this discussion is like bell-bottoms, it comes around every few years. Like Clem, I prefer concise man pages and longer, separate documents for those programs where it makes sense. I consider man pages to be quick references. But my real issue with texinfo wouldn't get solved with html pages many of which already exist. The problem is that the ecosystem has been fragmented by people doing their "documentation" in their preferred formats instead of in a common (man) format. This makes the experience one of "is there any documentation?" followed by "what's the incantation to get it?" When you're looking for the documentation for pdf2svg, for example, and there is no man page, how long does it take to figure out that there is no documentation at all? Jon