On 06.10.24 09:37, Hendrik Boom wrote:

> On Sun, Oct 06, 2024 at 12:33:42AM +0000, Erik Christiansen via Dng wrote:

> >

> > There are also "info" pages on some things. I don't have info installed,

>

> I hate the info pages.  I can never remember the keystroke combinations

> needed to navigate them.

Despite learning the keystrokes, I still run from info pages. Part of

my general GUIphobia is being turned into a time-wasting ever more

infuriated menu-running GUI-rat, to collapse at the end, still not

having found the elusive needed info. (OK, info is pseudo-GUI, but same

deal - up/down & sideways, from one partial description to yet more

incomplete snippets makes it hard to assemble a complete picture.)

Dumping the info page as a text file, then just linearly searching with

e.g. Vim, laser-zaps through all the hindering micropage mincing of the

information, hopping instantly between incidences of a term of interest,

quickly reaching something useful, no matter how assiduously menu-hidden.

Having the full path of the info file in my notes file, under the "GAS:"

heading, allows a quick dip into it by doing a Vim "gf" on it. It is

then easy to return to the notes file with an Alt-O, analogous to

file-internal Ctrl-O backward line hop. (OK, that convenience is a

custom mapping and function, but works for me.) And a particularly

informative info line or two can be carried back to the notes in a text

buffer, to be pasted in a more useful place.

> Does Devuan have a program that presents them in a more GUI-friendly way?

> (i.e., requiring no memorized keystrokes, but instead, say, memorable

> or intuitive icons or clickable words?)

The utility of a low level linear search is that it reliably finds

incidences of a chosen term, even when hidden under some other

clicky-word menu tag. That makes for more forensic data mining, I

figure. But I grant that when the manpage just says "Auto-generated from info, so go look there folks.", you get there as best you can.

If time permitted, then a Helpful Manpages project would appeal. Even a few examples would usefully spruce up some of them. (But you can't get the round tuits, you know.)

Erik