On Fri, Nov 02, 2007 at 03:10:59PM -0600, Aaron Konstam wrote: > On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 09:00 -0400, Robert Locke wrote: > > On Fri, 2007-11-02 at 11:02 +0000, Chris G wrote: > > <snip> > > > Adding the (rpm) entries means that the whatis database is no longer a > > > "set of database files containing short descriptions of system > > > commands" because the things it puts in there are *not* system > > > commands. > > > > Never has been. Only the things in "chapter 1" are really "system > > commands". The whatis database was initially a summary of the > > description lines of each of the man pages, but that has included > > commands, files, library functions, etc. Looking at the chapter told > > you what it was. But now there are things on the system that have no > > traditional man page, but might be what you are looking for. So some > > folks hacked in the (rpm) chapter so that we at least no about the > > existence of those facilities when we "search our system" even though > > they do not have a traditional man page.... > > > > I think it's a neat idea.... > > > > --Rob > > > Well there are two problems. > 1. chapter 8 also has system commands.. > 2. Something has ruined this process so that now all I get from man -k > or apropos is (rpm) files. It must have been an update of some sort. Any > ideas out there? For example system-config-printer shows up as a (rpm) > file. You need to run makewhatis (as root) and that will add all the man page entries to the whatis database. -- Chris Green
