From owner-freebsd-current Tue Mar 25 7:52:19 2003 Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EF3D737B401 for ; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 07:52:16 -0800 (PST) Received: from mailsrv.otenet.gr (mailsrv.otenet.gr [195.170.0.5]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4C63A43F3F for ; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 07:52:15 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: from gothmog.gr (patr530-b220.otenet.gr [212.205.244.228]) by mailsrv.otenet.gr (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id h2PFqBh1011806; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 17:52:12 +0200 (EET) Received: from gothmog.gr (gothmog [127.0.0.1]) by gothmog.gr (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id h2PFqAvO005413; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 17:52:10 +0200 (EET) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Received: (from giorgos@localhost) by gothmog.gr (8.12.8/8.12.8/Submit) id h2PFqA4D005412; Tue, 25 Mar 2003 17:52:10 +0200 (EET) (envelope-from keramida@ceid.upatras.gr) Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 17:52:10 +0200 From: Giorgos Keramidas To: Steve Kargl Cc: current@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: MAKEDEV(8) manpage Message-ID: <20030325155210.GA5359@gothmog.gr> References: <20030324133457.GR36490@unixpages.org> <20030324171215.7DBD85D07@ptavv.es.net> <20030324181450.GU36490@unixpages.org> <20030324194316.GD26996@gothmog.gr> <20030325091059.GF36490@unixpages.org> <20030325151024.GA6605@troutmask.apl.washington.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20030325151024.GA6605@troutmask.apl.washington.edu> X-RAVMilter-Version: 8.4.2(snapshot 20021217) (terpsi) X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-25.4 required=5.0 tests=AWL,EMAIL_ATTRIBUTION,IN_REP_TO,QUOTED_EMAIL_TEXT, RCVD_IN_UNCONFIRMED_DSBL,REFERENCES,REPLY_WITH_QUOTES autolearn=ham version=2.50 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.50 (1.173-2003-02-20-exp) Sender: owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG On 2003-03-25 07:10, Steve Kargl wrote: >On Tue, Mar 25, 2003 at 10:11:00AM +0100, Christian Brueffer wrote: >>On Mon, Mar 24, 2003 at 09:43:17PM +0200, Giorgos Keramidas wrote: >>> On 2003-03-24 19:14, Christian Brueffer wrote: >>> > I'll write a small manpage this evening which says that MAKEDEV is >>> > gone now with a short summary of what devfs does. Does that resolve >>> > your worries? >>> >>> If you write a detailed description of devfs please add it to devfs(5) >>> and just replace the existing manpage of MAKEDEV with something like: >>> >>> The MAKEDEV script was deprecated by devfs(5) and geom(4) and >>> removed from FreeBSD after GEOM became mandatory. Please see >>> the devfs(5), devfs(8), geom(4) and mount_devfs(8) manpages for >>> more details. >>> >>> This should be enough IMHO to point the reader to the right place. >> >> That was my original intent. I'm still uncertain if it would be better >> to write a small manpage or just create a MLINK to one of the devfs >> pages... > > Are you going to write a man page everytime a feature > is deprecated? MAKEDEV is dead and gone. At most > create the MLINK. Only for very important features that are a hardcoded part of most Unix users' brain patterns by now. MAKEDEV is a feature that has been with us for a long time. Actually, it's been in UNIX even before I was born! :-) Besides, I don't like (ab)using MLINKS for implicit redirects, because it feels like "cheating" or "tricking" the user to read something that he should instantly recognize and think "ah, yes, here it is"... this is not always the case though. Imagine the confusion if a Slackware Linux user who has learned that MAKEDEV is the place to look at, who goes into /dev and can't find it. He then goes on to type: % apropos MAKEDEV MAKEDEV: nothing appropriate. That must look annoying. Or even worse (using MLINKS), imagine the confusion when one types: % man MAKEDEV only to find that devfs(5) pops up. I can almost read already the posts to bugs@ or the PRs in the gnats database about "manpage error, MAKEDEV loads devfs" :-) - Giorgos To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message