Debian Bug report logs - #1526
man dpkg(5) dpkg(8) dselect

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Message #15 received at 1526@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: rjs@lloke.dna.fi (Riku Saikkonen)

To: 1526@bugs.debian.org

Subject: dpkg/dselect manual page

Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 22:35:46 +0300

The manual page for dpkg "was inaccurate when it was written and is now also
out of date". dselect doesn't even have a man page. This was reported as bug
#1526 in October 1995; you replied that you didn't have time to write it at
the moment.

If you still don't have time, how about asking for help in debian-devel?

It should be relatively simple to correct the dpkg(8) page, and I guess one
could adapt dselect's help texts to form a manual page (or simply have a
page that shortly tells what dselect is and then refers to the help texts).

I'm not too good at writing documentation, so I wouldn't like to do it...

--
-=- Rjs -=- rjs@spider.compart.fi, rjs@lloke.dna.fi

Message #22 received at 1526@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Christian Schwarz <schwarz@monet.m.isar.de>

To: Debian DOC Team <debian-doc@lists.debian.org>

Cc: 1526@bugs.debian.org

Subject: need volunteer for dpkg manpage

Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 20:06:52 +0200 (CEST)

Hi folks!

It's really a shame: Our beautiful system is based on "dpkg" and the
Policy says that _every_ program has to have a manual page, but the
"dpkg*" man pages are very old and inaccurate.

So, I think it's time to change this (before we start discussing any SGML
stuff :-)

This is what's to do:

   1. Update dpkg(8) manpage
   2. Update dselect(8) manpage
   3. Split dpkg-source(1) manpage into several pages (one for each
      command)
   4. Send new manpages to Klee to get it into the next dpkg release

It would be nice if we could have a volunteer for this. I'm sure, every
user would thank you for that. (And don't tell me you're not good in
writing documentation ;-)


Thanks,

Chris

--                 Christian Schwarz
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Message #27 received at 1526-maintonly@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: remco@blaakmeer.student.utwente.nl (Remco Blaakmeer)

To: 1526-maintonly@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Old bugs need to be looked at

Date: Sun, 1 Feb 1998 11:59:53 +0100 (CET)

This is an automated message sent to all bugs older than one year.

This bug is very old. Please take a look at it and see if you can fix it.
If it has already been fixed, please close it.

If you have problems fixing it or if you don't have the time to fix it,
please ask the people on debian-devel@lists.debian.org for help, so that
at least the oldest bugs can be solved before Debian 2.0 is released.

Remco Blaakmeer

Message #32 received at 1526@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Remco Blaakmeer <remco@blaakmeer.student.utwente.nl>

To: 1526@bugs.debian.org

Cc: Debian DOC Team <debian-doc@lists.debian.org>

Subject: Re: need volunteer for dpkg manpage

Date: Wed, 4 Feb 1998 18:09:57 +0100 (CET)

At a unique point in space and time,
	Christian Schwarz <schwarz@monet.m.isar.de> wrote:
> Hi folks!
> 
> It's really a shame: Our beautiful system is based on "dpkg" and the
> Policy says that _every_ program has to have a manual page, but the
> "dpkg*" man pages are very old and inaccurate.
> 
> So, I think it's time to change this (before we start discussing any SGML
> stuff :-)
> 
> This is what's to do:
> 
>    1. Update dpkg(8) manpage
>    2. Update dselect(8) manpage
>    3. Split dpkg-source(1) manpage into several pages (one for each
>       command)
>    4. Send new manpages to Klee to get it into the next dpkg release
> 
> It would be nice if we could have a volunteer for this. I'm sure, every
> user would thank you for that. (And don't tell me you're not good in
> writing documentation ;-)

I am willing to take a shot at this, for the sole sake of getting rid of
old bugs. However, I am totally new to writing man pages and especially to
utilities like troff and groff. Are there HOWTO documents, web pages or
other information I should read? Should I join the Debian Documentation
Project? I already joined the debian-doc mailing list. I am currently not
a developer, but I am willing to become one.

Remco

Message #37 received at 1526@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Michael Alan Dorman <mdorman@esprit.law.miami.edu>

To: Remco Blaakmeer <remco@blaakmeer.student.utwente.nl>

Cc: 1526@bugs.debian.org, Debian DOC Team <debian-doc@lists.debian.org>

Subject: Re: Bug#1526: need volunteer for dpkg manpage

Date: 04 Feb 1998 14:10:50 -0500

Remco Blaakmeer <remco@blaakmeer.student.utwente.nl> writes:
> I am willing to take a shot at this, for the sole sake of getting rid of
> old bugs. However, I am totally new to writing man pages and especially to
> utilities like troff and groff. Are there HOWTO documents, web pages or
> other information I should read? Should I join the Debian Documentation
> Project? I already joined the debian-doc mailing list. I am currently not
> a developer, but I am willing to become one.

Wonderful.

As for troff/groff---there are generally already manpages for the
things discussed in the bug ticket, so you would be able to have
something to start with, it would mostly be an issue of figuring out
where they may or may not be inaccurate or incomplete.

As for a good source of info on troff/groff---I don't have one.

Mike.
-- 
Michael Alan Dorman               |     E-Mail: mdorman@law.miami.edu
Network Administrator             |             Phone: (305) 284-2463
University of Miami School of Law |               Fax: (305) 284-3753

Message #42 received at 1526@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Philippe Troin <phil@fifi.org>

To: Remco Blaakmeer <remco@blaakmeer.student.utwente.nl>, 1526@bugs.debian.org

Cc: Debian DOC Team <debian-doc@lists.debian.org>

Subject: Re: Bug#1526: need volunteer for dpkg manpage

Date: Wed, 04 Feb 1998 22:02:13 -0800

On Wed, 04 Feb 1998 18:09:57 +0100 Remco Blaakmeer 
(remco@blaakmeer.student.utwente.nl) wrote:

> > This is what's to do:
> > 
> >    1. Update dpkg(8) manpage
> >    2. Update dselect(8) manpage
> >    3. Split dpkg-source(1) manpage into several pages (one for each
> >       command)
> >    4. Send new manpages to Klee to get it into the next dpkg release
> 
> I am willing to take a shot at this, for the sole sake of getting rid of
> old bugs. However, I am totally new to writing man pages and especially to
> utilities like troff and groff. Are there HOWTO documents, web pages or
> other information I should read? Should I join the Debian Documentation
> Project? I already joined the debian-doc mailing list. I am currently not
> a developer, but I am willing to become one.

"man 7 man" should get you started.
Any manpage should give you conventions (what should be bold, italic, sectionning, etc...)

Phil.

Message #47 received at 1526@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Christian Schwarz <schwarz@monet.m.isar.de>

To: Remco Blaakmeer <remco@Cal011205.student.utwente.nl>

Cc: 1526@bugs.debian.org, Debian DOC Team <debian-doc@lists.debian.org>

Subject: Re: need volunteer for dpkg manpage

Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 10:28:13 +0100 (CET)

On Wed, 4 Feb 1998, Remco Blaakmeer wrote:

[snip]
> > It would be nice if we could have a volunteer for this. I'm sure, every
> > user would thank you for that. (And don't tell me you're not good in
> > writing documentation ;-)
> 
> I am willing to take a shot at this, for the sole sake of getting rid of
> old bugs.

Great!!

[snip]
> Should I join the Debian Documentation Project? I already joined the
> debian-doc mailing list. I am currently not a developer, but I am
> willing to become one. 

By subscribing to debian-doc, you already became a member of our project! 
:-) (And if you write some nice manual pages now, you will become honorary
member, too! ;-)

You don't need to become registered Debian developer for writing
documentation unless you want to upload and maintain some packages. (A lot
of orphaned packages are around. You're always welcomed to adopt some of
these. But IMHO, the dpkg manual pages are more important than some of
these packages for now :) 


Thanks,

Chris

--                  Christian Schwarz
                     schwarz@monet.m.isar.de, schwarz@schwarz-online.com,
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