seems like an uphill battle, eh?
Ron Rademaker wrote:
>
> Try: pt-get install pine
>
> It'll give youenough information to get a bit further....
>
> Ron Rademaker
>
> PS. Damn when is someone going to read apt-ge's FM!!, perhaps we'll just
> have to put a few pages with apt-get info during install on the users
> screen, the amount of question that has to do with it are (mostly,
> exceptly for some) just TOO EASY!!!
would you know to read the manpage for 'gribnif' because that
was just the precise command you needed to clavis your frob
into the frammistat? not unless something pointed you there!
if you're looking for a way to mark up text and generate html
from there, you'd start with your function:
apropos markup
and voila, you'd know to try
man wml*
to learn more.
for apt, there's no way for a newbie TO KNOW TO LOOK FOR IT.
here's the newbie perspective, if you've forgotten:
--------
hum de da dum...
i'd like to upgrade my debian system to a more up-to-date
version. i've learned about the "man" command, but i can't
find the exact command to use for my task.
"apropos"? okay, i'll try that...
> apropos upgrade
pg_upgrade (1) - allows upgrade from a previous release without
reloading data
upgrade-windowmaker-defaults (8) - No manpage for this program,
utility or function.
wmu (1) - Website META Language Upgrade Utility
wmu (1) - Website META Language Upgrade Utility
hmm. that pg_upgrade seems like it's for some database only.
try again.
> apropos debian | sort
Debian::Debconf::Client::ConfModule (3pm) - client module for ConfModules
DebianNet (3pm) - create, remove, enable or disable entry in
/etc/inetd.conf
DebianNet (3pm) - create, remove, enable or disable entry in
/etc/inetd.conf
confmodule (3) - communicate with Debian configuration system FrontEnd.
deb (5) - Debian GNU/Linux binary package format
deb-control (5) - Debian GNU/Linux packages' master control file format
deb-control (5) - Debian GNU/Linux packages' master control file format
deb-old (5) - old style Debian GNU/Linux binary package format
dh_builddeb (1) - build debian packages
dh_du (1) - generate DEBIAN/du file (deprecated)
dh_installdeb (1) - install files into the DEBIAN directory
dh_installmenu (1) - install debian menu files into package build directories
dh_md5sums (1) - generate DEBIAN/md5sums file
dh_movefiles (1) - move files out of debian/tmp into subpackages
dh_testdir (1) - test directory before building debian package
dang! how many manpages do i have to wade through to find
if what i want is in here?
okay, i'll be a good newbie and keep looking, but i can't spend my
whole life looking at manpages for commands i don't want or
understand...
dhelp (1) - Debian online help
dhelp_parse (8) - Debian online help parser
diald-deb (7) - diald information for Debian/GNU Linux
dpkg (8) - a medium-level package manager for Debian GNU/Linux
dpkg-buildpackage (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-deb (1) - Debian package archive (.deb) manipulation tool
dpkg-distaddfile (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-genchanges (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-gencontrol (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-name (1) - rename Debian packages to full package names
dpkg-parsechangelog (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-shlibdeps (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-source (1) - Debian source package tools
dpkg-split (8) - Debian package archive split/join tool
dselect (8) - console Debian package handling frontend
install-docs (8) - manage online Debian documentation
isdnconfig (8) - configure the Debian isdnutils package
menufile (5) - entry in the Debian menu system
sambaconfig (8) - configure Samba for Debian systems
update-menus (1) - generate Debian menu system
package manager? i want to upgrade, but maybe what i'm
upgrading is a package (if you think any average newbie
will think like this, keep dreaming).
aha (says the newbie) i use 'dpkg-*' to install and update
things on debian...
--------
CONCLUSION:
there are #NO# pointers from a standard cd-install of slink,
from what i can tell, that would direct any newbie to try to
use "apt-*" for anything. the only pointers a newbie will get
is someone on this list saying 'use apt-get'!
(when i first installed slink from cd, i selected the
server/extended task, and went back to add a bunch of xwindows
stuff later. there's no manpage for apt-anything.)
RECOMMENDATION:
add, to the mailing list dagline 'unsubscribe?' tag below,
one itty-bitty line pointing to a debian newbie help page
on the web.
or
rotate a newbie tip-of-the-day kind of thing, instead, at
the end of the mailing list.
or
both.
plus
why not create a manpage that's called "upgrade" so that
newbies can find it. would that be a bad idea?
i think it might cut down a bit on the static that always
points us to shout 'argh! try apt-get, people!' on this list...
thanks for listening... [just trying to help :) ]
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Their is five errers in this sentance.
