aru Posted January 13, 2003 Report Share Posted January 13, 2003 JeroenM Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 594 Location: Leuven, Belgium Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 6:20 am Post subject: HOWTO find help: _________________________________________________________________ The following was a post at the gentoo forum. is it however applicable to all of linux users. Next to that you can also use our own forum search button, the mandakeuser.org docs etc. -------------------------------------------------------------- HOW-TO: How to Find Help Many a time in this Linux forum of ours you will hear a shout of RTFM! Many Linux Gurus get RTFM rage as new users assume that they are some kind of helpline. There is a reason for this, nearly all of the Linux and Unix tools feature a lot of documentation. This is great for the user, as it means you dont have to wait for a more experienced Linux user to help you icon_smile.gif This post aims to provide a selection of links to manuals of all sizes and shapes, so that the user does not have to search for them (god forbid the new Linux user having to find the manuals themselves: The man command How to use man Now our first useful resource is the man command, this is used in the following way: Code: man <package name> It can be executed by any Linux user at all icon_wink.gif Now, man is a command that formats and shows the manual pages for a particular tool, useful huh? Now, man can be used very easily, sometimes however I have people asking me how to exit man, this is very easy, use Code: q <enter> Pressing the down arrow lets you proceed onto the next page, the man pages typically list all the command line switches of the tool, as well as some interesting configuration information. To test this command out type: Code: man man Now, read on down, this is the full manual page for the man command, it should be split in nice easy to read sections. This is one of the most useful commands on Linux icon_smile.gif When to use man The time when it is ideal to use man is if you have a question such as What is foo-bar and how do I use it? or I wonder if foo-bar can do blah-de-blah. Since all the functions are listed under the man page then you can use its wealth of resources, as well as read the short description of the function. Also the man page should be used as the first resource before starting to look elsewhere. Internet Resources General Problems LinuxQuestions - This is one of the largest Linux specific forums on the internet, you should NOT automatically think that because these are forums then you should post your question, you shouldnt. This forum has the search feature enabled.So, head right up to the search feature and start searching. Some tips for searching are: 1. Use booleans, AND, OR etc. 2. Make your search as specific as possible 3. Search for only words over two (2) characters long 4. Do not search for "linux" or other such generic terms There are thousands of posts at the site, most of your problems should be covered here. If they're not then icon_surprised.gif Google - Linux - The little known Linux section of google. This site covers many areas of the Linux online world and there will be some matches for your search. Follow the same searching tips as above. (You can also resort to the standard google search if you are having no luck, make sure, however that you do include the word "linux" in the search. Next stop, New York, well - almost, actually freshmeat.net now the chances are that your software will be listed on freshmeat/sourceforge. Do a search here for the package name, if it is found then try clicking on the "Project Homepage" link, or the Docs link if there is one; have a thorough read of these and see if your problem is listed as a bug, if it is then there isnt much you can do about it, until the next version comes out icon_sad.gif Also, if there is a a SourceForge link check that they dont have a forum such as the KICQ projects here. Have a read around here, this will most likely be where the developers help out. Another place to go will be down the nav-bar on the left is a documentation link, have a look, have a read and see whether your problem is listed there. If it isnt then you have two options: OcUK Linux Forum - We're happy to help if you have read the manuals and have tried to research your problem. Make sure your post includes: 1. The version of the software 2. Your current distro 3. How you installed (i.e. via RPM [urgh evil!] or via .tar.gz [use the source luke!] 4. The exact error message that was given when your program crashed/the problem occured. If you have a random crash problem, try running from the terminal (xterm, konsole, gnome-terminal) to see this error. If we dont know the answer or you would prefer not to ask @ OcUK then try the aforementioned LQ Forums, or the forums of your chosen package. Also, check distro-specific forums such as The Gentoo Forums. Forums such as these have extensive search features, and often have the developers/gurus of that particular distro on them icon_smile.gif Another valuable resource is IRC (internet relay chat). The best IRC server for help I find is: irc.openprojects.net Here there are many channels such as #gentoo and #fluxbox etc. There is also a general Linux channel @ #linux. If you have BitchX the IRC client then use this: Code: $ BitchX irc.openprojects.net /nick <your nickname> /join #<chosen channel> Because Linux is free, there are only a limited amount of help sources, the software you install requires some work from YOU the user to get working. The many helplines that can be found for Windows dont exist for Linux and therefore you need to try to help yourself before asking frantically. Linux requires you to put effort in to make your system work properly, I tweak and change my current Gentoo system frequently - and I know I will never have it perfect. If you want a system that works out-of-the-box and you dont want to put any effort in at all - then go back to WIndows and format every 3 months icon_rolleyes.gif . The OpenSource community requires both developers and users to put effort it.. Enjoy your Linuxing... icon_smile.gif /edit - I've written this, and read over it and it sounds like a rant, it isnt a rant, its a guide for new Linux users, a guide to show people HOW to look for their own information, so that they can try to help themselves. I've picked out what I think are the most helpful guides on the internet and elsewhere for you to use. Please dont take it as a rant. If you think there are any more useful sites on the internet/resources please PM me and I'll add them to the guide icon_biggrin.gif Hope you find this guide interesting: Shak e: m: msn - - icq 137870119 v: dual athlon mp 1800+ t: p166mmx server DOlson Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 2393 Location: Canada Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 11:25 am Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ To exit a man page, press q. No need to press Enter. frew Senior user Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 214 Location: Mississippi Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 7:32 pm Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ another nice command, (seems to be broken in mdk?) is apropos. if you say, want to listen to mp3's but don't know what apps can do that then you could do apropos mp3. it will return a list of all of the programs that have a man page where the name includes mp3. So apropos text SHOULD retrurn: vim - Vi IMproved, a programmers text editor among many many many others. I have no idea why this doesn't work, but it is a standard tool and will work on most linux's DOlson Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 2393 Location: Canada Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 7:35 pm Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ frew wrote: another nice command, (seems to be broken in mdk?) is apropos. if you say, want to listen to mp3's but don't know what apps can do that then you could do apropos mp3. it will return a list of all of the programs that have a man page where the name includes mp3. So apropos text SHOULD retrurn: vim - Vi IMproved, a programmers text editor among many many many others. I have no idea why this doesn't work, but it is a standard tool and will work on most linux's Code: [dana@digory dana]$ apropos mp3 mp3c (1) - convert audio-cds to mp3 [dana@digory dana]$ frew Senior user Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 214 Location: Mississippi Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 7:49 pm Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ k so it's just me, good. DOlson Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2002 Posts: 2393 Location: Canada Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 8:06 pm Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ lol How is that good? Is SHOULD be working for you too... Heh. Oh, I tried what you put... text, and I got like a billion replys... frew Senior user Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 214 Location: Mississippi Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 8:38 pm Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ well that means it isnt broke for everyone. plus i think it might be some kind of bashrc thing or something. arusabal Moderator Joined: 17 Apr 2002 Posts: 836 Location: Spain Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2002 9:33 pm Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ you can always use 'whatis' instead of 'apropos'... or maybe not, who knows... Confused frew Senior user Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 214 Location: Mississippi Posted: Mon Aug 12, 2002 2:28 am Post subject: _________________________________________________________________ haha i know, i tried, same thing happened. Editor's note: This thread was originally posted at the old MUB (Mandrake User Board at club-nihil). This post is the result of a 99% automatic backup, so due to its nature some text may be lost (improbable but possible). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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