From owner-freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Dec 24 04:02:53 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-newbies@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5B65D16A4CE for ; Fri, 24 Dec 2004 04:02:53 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtp811.mail.sc5.yahoo.com (smtp811.mail.sc5.yahoo.com [66.163.170.81]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 002F043D5F for ; Fri, 24 Dec 2004 04:02:52 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from krinklyfig@spymac.com) Received: from unknown (HELO smogmonster.com) (jtinnin@pacbell.net@64.173.26.30 with login) by smtp811.mail.sc5.yahoo.com with SMTP; 24 Dec 2004 04:02:52 -0000 From: Joshua Tinnin To: freebsd-newbies@freebsd.org, shines@smaller.net Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2004 20:02:49 -0800 User-Agent: KMail/1.7.2 References: <000401c4e96a$4213de20$6400a8c0@musal32mpxlg> In-Reply-To: <000401c4e96a$4213de20$6400a8c0@musal32mpxlg> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200412232002.50704.krinklyfig@spymac.com> cc: 'Mervin McDougall' cc: 'Tyler Gee' Subject: Re: Manpage interpreter X-BeenThere: freebsd-newbies@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Gathering place for new users List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2004 04:02:53 -0000 On Thursday 23 December 2004 07:40 pm, "Sally Hines" wrote: > I want to thank everyone for offering me good information on > automating the ports update. My real question, though, is how to read > and understand manpages. Where is the interpreter? I know I am not > the only noob to ever have this problem? I can solve my own problems > much better if I can interpret the instructions. I think it would help if you gave a specific example. I don't think there is any such thing as an interpreter, per se, but if there is something confusing about a manpage, you can ask. I realize you said the questions list was intimidating, but if you are very specific about what you don't understand, you can usually get an answer. It's happened to me before where someone has told me to read the manpage for a particular command or file, and I still didn't understand it, but it helps if you point out what you don't understand about it, otherwise it's sometimes difficult to answer. There are also ways to problem-solve and find the answer even when you are given confusing instructions, but it would help if you gave me a specific example of something you didn't understand to show you. - jt