What use are these (rpm) entries in 'man'?

Aaron Konstam akonstam at sbcglobal.net
Fri Nov 2 21:21:45 UTC 2007


On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 15:10 -0600, Aaron Konstam wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 09:00 -0400, Robert Locke wrote:
> > On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 11:02 +0000, Chris G wrote:
> > <snip>
> > > Adding the (rpm) entries means that the whatis database is no longer a
> > > "set of database files containing short descriptions of system
> > > commands" because the things it puts in there are *not* system
> > > commands.
> > 
> > Never has been.  Only the things in "chapter 1" are really "system
> > commands".  The whatis database was initially a summary of the
> > description lines of each of the man pages, but that has included
> > commands, files, library functions, etc.  Looking at the chapter told
> > you what it was.  But now there are things on the system that have no
> > traditional man page, but might be what you are looking for.  So some
> > folks hacked in the (rpm) chapter so that we at least no about the
> > existence of those facilities when we "search our system" even though
> > they do not have a traditional man page....
> > 
> > I think it's a neat idea....
> > 
> > --Rob
> > 
> Well there are two problems.
> 1. chapter 8 also has system commands..
> 2. Something has ruined this process so that now all I get from man -k
> or apropos is (rpm) files. It must have been an update of some sort. Any
> ideas out there? For example system-config-printer shows up as a (rpm)
> file.
Well running makewhatis -w fixed the problem 2 above. But still I can't
understand how it got so screwed up in the first place.
 =======================================================================
It is only with the heart one can see clearly; what is essential is
invisible to the eye. -- The Fox, 'The Little Prince"
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Aaron Konstam telephone: (210) 656-0355 e-mail: akonstam at sbcglobal.net




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