Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!snorkelwacker!spdcc!ima!minya!jc
From: jc@minya.UUCP (John Chambers)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Stupid man pages
Message-ID: <400@minya.UUCP>
Date: 12 Jun 90 02:09:13 GMT
References: <2281@ariel.unm.edu> <1831@pyrltd.UUCP> <618@modus.sublink.ORG> <8591@goofy.Apple.COM>
Lines: 31

> I am divided on the issue of professionalization of manual pages.  I do
> support it in the case that it makes manual pages clearer.  An
> unsophisticated user perusing the man pages might be a little mystified
> why a plumbing device was documented in the Unix Manual.
> 
> Have any marketing types tried to do anything to take daemonology out
> of the system?  I imagine there may be countries that would not accept
> Unix because they don't like invoking daemons.

Even worse, they've done things like replacing the BUGS section with
euphemisms like RESTRICTIONS or QUALIFICATIONS.  I remember 'way back
when, when I first stumbled across Unix; I was tremendously impressed
to see BUGS in bold letters on the pages.  I decided that any system
whose manuals were so honest was well worth learning more about...






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