[gentoo-user] Re: Gentoo's advantage: 'optimized for your system' -- huh?

[Harry Putnam]

Jesús Guerrero <i92guboj@×××××.es> writes:

> El Vie, 6 de Febrero de 2009, 22:00, Harry Putnam escribió:
>> Grant Edwards <grante@××××.com> writes:
>>
>>
>>>> The cynic in me says that it's because Tim Berners-Lee
>>>> invented HTML, not Richard M Stallman.
>>>
>>> Info has been around a lot longer than HTML, but I think you're
>>> largely correct.
>>
> [...]
>> I recommend that people use emacs to read `info'.  They work really well
>> together and the vast arsenal of search and other tools in emacs are
>> brought to bare in `info' reading.  Once you used emacs for `info' reading
>> the standalone `Info' reader will seem pretty primitive.
>
> Well, I'd first need to use info to use emacs to use info,
> you get the point :p

Ahh no.  You'd first need to pay attention to the thread.

Then if you want to learn about emacs you might consider using emacs
to learn about emacs rather than info.  Emacs is thoroughly documented
on board.

So wrong on both counts. ; )

> A manual system should be simple enough that a newbie can
> start to use it without knowing anything about emacs. Hell,
> even less is a hard thing to use on man pages for a newcomer,
> let alone emacs or vi.

Your first requirement is not true of info OR THE MANUAL SYSTSEM.
... again... pay attention.
Newbies are saying the manual system is basically worthless to them.

Far as I know... no one but newbies think the manuals are written for
newbies.  They are not.

Neither is the info system.  But it does have considerably more detail
in some manuals and usually a hypertexted index and tables of
contents.  That alone (in many cases) renders it more usable.

That may be why documentary books are usually not just a flat sheet 27
feet long with headings and text with cryptic notations..  They
usually have some sensible format for digesting the information.  Like
indexes and tables of contents.

> Once you are proficient with emacs, then info vs. man is
> probably a non-issue for you anyway, so I don't get your
> point there.

Please... if you paid attention you'd know that the emacs thing was
offered as an advanced method of using info.  Note the keyword
"advanced".  That already precludes newbies.  Further, how is that
being proficient in emacs renders man or info a non-issue?

Once more for those who are unwilling to read the thread before
posting.

The first line of inquiry is the man pages.. If that is not
satisfactory I move to info for possibly a fuller treatment. Some
man pages even direct the user to info for a fuller treatment.

If I want to get fancy, like reading the bash documentation... I'd
break out emacs for an easier learning experience.

There should be no posts beyond this point proclaiming how tuff it is
to use emacs if you have no network on a fresh install... Or having to
suffer through learning info to learn emacs to.... ah but who knows.