groff
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: SEE ALSO fails


From: James K. Lowden
Subject: Re: SEE ALSO fails
Date: Sat, 30 Oct 2021 21:04:56 -0400

On Sat, 30 Oct 2021 14:48:46 -0700
Larry McVoy <lm@mcvoy.com> wrote:

> If James is suggesting that dangling links are not helpful, I find 
> the opposite to be true.

I too have benefited from pursuing hints I found in SEE ALSO, even for
uninstalled software.  I remember one weekend searching to for a free
implementation of ideal(1).  

My example was just a starting point.  If references to uninstalled
items are to appear in man pages, I do think they should indicate when
they're inaccessible via the man system. If I were a web guy, I'd say
no SEE ALSO link should end in 404.  

I'm proposing we consider a tool that packaging systems could use to
eliminate dangling links.  If instead of being simply deleted, they are
somehow marked, OK.  What form should that take?  

Simplest might be a static string (such as "(not installed)") appended
to each item.  Or, they could be moved to another heading, or
subheading. They could be annotated with the .Nd line and/or homepage
URL, or the name of the package that contains it.  

To be concrete, I'm asking the groff community how would you change

> .Xr mg 1 ,

to reflect the fact that there's no "mg" on this system?  

To be clear, I'm actually fine deleting it, but I wouldn't insist.  The
NetBSD base system includes editline(3), and (I assume) intentionally
doesn't mention mg.  I would say that's SOP for curated pages presented
as a set.  But that doesn't mean it can't be improved on. 

--jkl




reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]