console.perms

Karl Larsen k5di at zianet.com
Sat Dec 15 16:19:08 UTC 2007


Paul W. Frields wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-12-14 at 14:58 -0700, Karl Larsen wrote:
>   
>> I used the info in info console.perms and from several other sources 
>> to teach me how to write a file that changes /dev/ttyS0 ownership from 
>> root to me when I am on the console. As it happens this is the devise in 
>> Fedora that lets you use a serial port which in windows talk is Com1.
>>
>>     The info console.perms is written by Michael K. Johnson 
>> <johnsonm at redhat.com> and I suspect he wrote the software. Alas what he 
>> wrote is real bad. It tells him what it does but it was way over my 
>> head. After reading a lot of other things I figured out how to use this 
>> software and it did work. But it took a whole day.
>>
>>     I would like to re-write this console-perm man page from the pov of 
>> a user rather than the writer of the code. This I can do from what I did 
>> to make the serial port work.
>>
>>     Is this something we do?
>>     
>
> I think any quality judgment of that man page is a really subjective
> measurement.  For instance, I find it pretty darn informative, but if
> you asked me ten years ago, I'd probably argue with myself.  The man
> pages use a specific style and tone that is particular to console users
> (power users, administrators, and developers), and the information they
> convey uses terminology that is somewhat consistent across the whole
> set.  I have a feeling that trying to change that tone for one
> particular man page may not be a worthwhile effort.
>
> What I'd suggest, instead, is that you do one of the following:
>
> 1.  (A little harder, but allows you to participate in this project:)
> Follow the steps at http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/DocsProject/Join to
> join Fedora get wiki access, and make a tutorial page that explains this
> procedure in common user language.  We can look at using that in future
> guides as appropriate.
>
> 2.  (Easier:)  Get yourself a weblog account at Wordpress.org or any of
> the other free blogging sites, and you can post advice on what you
> discover there, and share it with the world.
>
> Heck, you could do both if you wanted.
>
>   
    I really do not need to be a member of the Fedora Documentation 
Project to write a blog on console.perms or anything else. The problem 
with a blog is finding it. What I wanted was the person who uses "man 
console.perms" should see an example of what is done.  What exists 
assumes a good working knowledge of bash and, as you say is a power user.

    I'm not a power user. But I had a need to use this tool. I was happy 
it had a man page. I was unhappy it didn't tell me how to use it. It 
took Google and just rooting around to find out how the 50 examples works.

    If you need to be a power user to be on this Project, then I better 
quit.

Karl


-- 

	Karl F. Larsen, AKA K5DI
	Linux User
	#450462   http://counter.li.org.
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