From: Lars Hecking (lhecking at domain nmrc.ucc.ie)
Date: Mon 14 Feb 2000 - 02:14:00 GMT
lbedford at domain wbtsystems.com writes:
> On Sat, Feb 12, 2000 at 04:26:22PM +0000, Paul Jakma wrote:
> > 3. Documentation: Why have redhat decided to stop installing man
> > pages? And why is the /usr/doc stuff so inadequate?
> >
> > Loads of rpm packages don't install man pages anymore, even though
> > the original source has them, eg xntpd!! Other packages are woefully
> > badly documented, eg gdm2, esd ... etc. Where is the documentation on
> > how to configure gdm? I know it exists, cause i remember reading it
> > when i installed gnome by hand ages ago!!!
> For some god unknown reason, man isn't good enough for the gnu
> people anymore. They seem to use info for _everything_ they
> can get their hands on. Fine.. but I've never liked info,
> the only way I can navigate around it without losing my
> marbles is with gnome-help-browser. If you go to the man
> pages, most of them tell you the man page isn't being maintained
> any more... it's the same under Debian and RedHat...
This is nothing new. The emphasis on info in favour of man
has been with GNU project for a long time, if not right out
from the start. Subject of many fruitless discussions on
Usenet. One of their worst decisions ever, as if those who
came up with it couldn't tell the difference between a tutorial
or guide, and a reference.
Well, we'll soon have a chance to bug RMS about this :)
How far the distributions stick to this pseudo-standard,
I cannot say. Maybe, trailing through some 700 packages
and writing the missing man pages is something they never
thought of?
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