tags 611013 wontfix thanks On Mon, Jan 24, 2011 at 08:20:10PM +0000, Reuben Thomas wrote: > I install the POSIX man pages so I can program portably. I want to see > foo(3posix) before foo(2). I am just trying to work out whether this > makes me unusual (and I should just use MANSECT), or whether I’m > justified in filing a bug report. I think the latter: the general idea > of the default man page section ordering seems to be that higher-level > content is shown before lower-level, so, user programs (1) before > administrator utilities (8), libc (3) before kernel (2); and hence, it > seems to me, POSIX (3posix) should come before both sections 2 and 3.
I can see arguments either way. For myself, though, I think I prefer to see the library documentation for the system I'm actually working on by default, and I expect that documentation to contain CONFORMANCE sections where appropriate. While this does require more effort from the authors, the manpages package tends on the whole to be pretty good at that these days. I also have manpages-posix installed so that I can program portably, but it doesn't tend to have notes about (for example) when a particular function used to be broken in previous libc or kernel versions, and I find that sort of thing useful too. So, I think I'm inclined not to fix this bug, and suggest using MANSECT or modifying /etc/manpath.config; but I'm leaving this bug open in case somebody wants to have another go at persuading me otherwise. Cheers, -- Colin Watson [cjwat...@debian.org] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
