Re: [tlug] Re: IPv6

[Scott Robbins <scottro@example.com>]

On Sat, Nov 17, 2007 at 08:16:04AM +0900, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
> Scott Robbins writes:
> 
>  > I've always wondered if this is why the BSD docs are so much easier to
>  > understand than the Linux ones.
> 
> I don't find either particularly easier to understand, given what's
> being documented.  GNU software, however, tends to be more compliant
> to silly standards (both ISO and GNU's own) and have lots more
> dingleberries hanging off the UI and/or API, which makes the software
> both harder to understand and harder to document understandably.

Hrrm, perhaps to you, Josh and the other masters.  However, to folks
like me it's nice to have the EXAMPLES section, things like having
ifconfig actually give an example of giving an alias (the Linux ifconfig
manpage gives you no idea of the syntax on Linux) and even the small
bits of extra effort such as the Linux ls man page telling you that -F
appends a /*@example.com after the listing and giving you no idea why.  Whereas
the FreeBSD manpage says:

 Display a slash (`/') immediately after each pathname that is a
 directory, an asterisk (`*') after each that is executable, an at sign
('@') after each symoblic link, (and goes on to tell what each symbol
indicates.)

Changing jobs and having to use Linux man pages after getting used to
FreeBSD ones reminds me of how I learned to play guitar on a piece of
junk, got good and bought a good guitar, and many years later, taught my
niece on a junky one.  

-- 
Scott Robbins
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Buffy: You read my diary? That is not OK. A diary is like a 
person's most private possession. You don't even know what I was 
writing about. Hunk can mean a lot of things, bad things. And, 
and when I said his eyes were penetrating, I meant bulging. 
Angel: Buffy... 
Buffy: A doesn't even stand for Angel for that matter. It stand 
for Achmed, a charming foreign exchange student. And that whole 
fantasy part has nothing to even do with you, at all... 
Angel: Your mother moved your diary when she came in to 
straighten up. I watched her from the closet. I didn't read it, I
swear. 
Buffy: Oh.