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Message-ID: <3FAEB5FF.38C5A9A2@iee.org>
Date: Sun, 09 Nov 2003 21:47:43 +0000
From: Don Sharp <dwsharp AT iee DOT org>
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To: gnuwin32 <cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
Subject: Re: Info versus Man
References: <ldmqqvcmqtegf0hn29rusk12rr4ss5tp9r AT 4ax DOT com> <3FAD6706 DOT 58495361 AT dessent DOT net>
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X-OriginalArrivalTime: 09 Nov 2003 21:47:53.0187 (UTC) FILETIME=[20B75330:01C3A70B]

Try pinfo. If it doesn't find an info page it'll look for a man page.

HTH

Don Sharp

Brian Dessent wrote:
> 
> zzapper wrote:
> >
> > Hi Ya All
> >
> > Is INFO just a viewer for Man Pages, or does it have it's own
> > database?
> >
> > Is INFO preferred to MAN ??
> >
> > (Sorry for hogging this NG recently)
> > zzapper
> 
> Yes, they are completely seperate.  The 'info' program reads and
> displays texinfo documents, which live in /usr/info.  texinfo documents
> are organized into nodes, which leads to a sort of link structure or
> heirarchy.  The 'info' program is just one way of formatting/viewing
> them, they can also be easily formatted as PostScript, HTML, etc.
> 
> The 'man' program formats and displays manpages which are a much older
> format (nroff/groff).  They contain markup to make sections stand out,
> highlight commands vs. normal text, etc. but they are still essentially
> flat text files with embellishment.  They live in /usr/man.
> 
> The GNU people decided one day that man pages had worn out their welcome
> and so they developed the texinfo project to support a new format of
> documentation.  Thus, the preferred docu for all the GNU utils are the
> texinfo files, and the manpages are really an afterthought in a lot of
> cases.  However many people hate the 'info' program and just want plain
> old manpages, so I wouldn't expect them to go away any time soon.
> Personally I have mixed feelings about both.  If you ever try to use the
> manpage for 'bash' you quickly realize how cumbersome it is, compared to
> viewing the HTML version of the texinfo docs online.  However, for quick
> and dirty things that basically consist of a short summary of some
> options the manpage cannot be beat.
> 
> Brian
> 
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