Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!bfmny0!tneff
From: tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: Finding Manuals
Message-ID: <15167@bfmny0.UU.NET>
Date: 13 Feb 90 22:48:08 GMT
References: <7147@netcom.UUCP>
Reply-To: tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff)
Distribution: na
Lines: 35

In article <7147@netcom.UUCP> jfh@netcom.UUCP (Jack Hamilton) writes:
>"RTFM" is sometimes appropriate, but what if you can't find the manual?
>
>I, for example, have an account on a timesharing system which runs Xenix.  
>I believe that a Xenix reference manual exists.  I've looked at several 
>bay area bookstores for it - Kepler's, Stacy's, Stanford University 
>Bookstore (main branch and technical branch), Printers Inc, Clean Well 
>Lighted Place for Books, even Crown - and there are lots of Unix books 
>out there, but no Xenix manual.  

Your timesharing system presumably has an administrator or two.  You
start by asking THEM which manual comes with the machine, and where they
got their copies.  They may have a copy for you to borrow, or at least
can give you the ISBN and ordering info so you can go back to your
bookstore and order the proper manuals yourself.

Your Xenix probably also identifies itself by vendor at some point; do a
'strings' on compilers, read system include files etc. then call up that
company.  If you're on a budget, call 800-555-1212 and ask for the
company's toll free number.  Many of them have one; the worst that can
happen is that you'll find out yours doesn't, so why not try?

You also have fellow users on the timesharing system.  You can ask THEM
for leads on the manual.  There may be newsgroups limited in distribution
to your machine; these make good places for query posting.

This is an example of using offline HUMAN resources before resorting
to the net.

>I can't read the manual if I can't find it.  I also have no real grounds for
>choosing between any of the other 500 Unix manuals I've seen.  

Many common questions are answerable regardless of which UNIX or Xenix
variant you're running.  Anyway there are definitely Xenix books out
there!  B Daltons and other major chains have them.