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<div>
<h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="d5e11433"></a>2. GNU/Linux Useful
Resources
</h2>
</div>
<div>
<div class="abstract">
<p class="title"><b>Abstract</b></p>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa77"></a>In this section, we present
resources useful for any <span class="application">GNU/Linux</span>
distribution. Most are not written specifically for
<span class="application">Mandriva Linux</span>, but may nevertheless prove
useful.
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h3 class="title"><a name="d5e11441"></a>2.1. The /usr/share/doc
Directory
</h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa29"></a>Most packages
include their own documentation in one of the sub-directories of
<code class="filename">/usr/share/doc</code>, which will be named after the
specific package. <span class="application">Mandriva Linux</span>'s own
documentation, when installed, is available in the <code class="filename">
/usr/share/doc/mandriva/</code> directory.
</p>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h3 class="title"><a name="get-doc-chapter-cond1"></a>2.2. Web Resources
</h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h4 class="title"><a name="d5e11453"></a>2.2.1. Security-Related Web
Sites
</h4>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="variablelist">
<dl>
<dt><span class="term"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-te2"></a><a class="ulink" href="http://www.securityfocus.com/" target="_top">Security
Focus</a></span></dt>
<dd>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa35"></a>Reviews
current attacks and publishes vulnerability advisories for a
great number of products, including <span class="application">Mandriva
Linux</span>.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><span class="term"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-te3"></a><a class="ulink" href="http://www.linuxsecurity.com/" target="_top">Linux
Security</a></span></dt>
<dd>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa36"></a>Entirely
devoted to <span class="application">Linux</span> and includes news,
advisories, newsletters, and many other resources such as
documentation, forums, tools, etc. Check out the site's <a class="ulink" href="http://www.linuxsecurity.com/docs" target="_top"> documentation
page</a>.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><span class="term"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-te4"></a><a class="ulink" href="http://www.linux.com" target="_top">Linux dot com</a></span></dt>
<dd>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa37"></a>Excellent
site regularly fed with articles on present security issues. It
also features articles about desktop, sound, and more. You
should particularly check out the <a class="ulink" href="http://howtos.linux.com/" target="_top"> HOWTO</a>
section.
</p>
</dd>
</dl>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h4 class="title"><a name="d5e11477"></a>2.2.2. Other Linux Web
Sites
</h4>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa38"></a>Of the many
existing web sites, here are some with the most information:
</p>
<div class="variablelist">
<dl>
<dt><span class="term"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-te5"></a><a class="ulink" href="http://www.linux.org/" target="_top">Linux Online!</a></span></dt>
<dd>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa39"></a>One of the very first
sites devoted to Linux, it contains a whole slew of links to
other useful sites.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><span class="term"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-te6"></a><a class="ulink" href="http://freshmeat.net/" target="_top">Freshmeat</a></span></dt>
<dd>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa40"></a>This is the
place to visit to get the latest applications available in the
<span class="application">Linux</span> world.
</p>
</dd>
<dt><span class="term"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-te7"></a><a class="ulink" href="http://www.lwn.net/" target="_top">Linux Weekly News</a></span></dt>
<dd>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa41"></a>One of the
most exhaustive Linux publications available, it covers
everything from the latest security alerts to new distributions,
information about current and past kernels, books, and a weekly
newsletter (for subscribers only).
</p>
</dd>
</dl>
</div>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa42"></a>And, of course,
remember your favorite search engines. Generally speaking, they are
the most practical information seeking tools. A few carefully chosen
keywords in a search engine often produce the answers you need for
your specific problem. With <span class="application">Google</span>
<sup>™</sup>, you can even make a
<span class="application">GNU/Linux</span>-oriented search by visiting its
<a class="ulink" href="http://www.google.com/linux" target="_top">Linux
section</a>.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h3 class="title"><a name="d5e11504"></a>2.3. The Man Pages
</h3>
</div>
<div>
<div class="abstract">
<p class="title"><b>Abstract</b></p>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa81"></a>The Manual
Pages (also known as “<span class="quote">man pages</span>”) are a set of
exhaustive documents, which help you acquire better knowledge of
<span class="application">GNU/Linux</span> commands. The latter are
usually issued through the “<span class="quote">command line</span>” and allow
great control over your system (<span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph4"></a>see the Introduction to the
Command Line chapter of the <em class="citetitle">Reference
Manual</em></span> <span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph5"></a>see the Introduction to the
Command Line chapter of the <em class="citetitle">Reference
Manual</em></span> <span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph6"></a>see the Introduction to the
Command Line chapter of the <em class="citetitle">Reference
Manual</em></span> ). Although these man pages might seem
discouraging at first, they offer great detail and we encourage you
to browse through them when a problem occurs.
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<a class="indexterm" name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-it4"></a>
<a class="indexterm" name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-it5"></a>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa11"></a>This should be your
primary source of information for <code class="systemitem">shell</code>
commands. Almost all commands have a manual page. Other items, such as
certain configuration files, library functions for programmers and
others system aspects also have their own man pages.
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa12"></a>Man page contents are arranged
in different sections. References to these are made in the following
manner: for example, <span class="citerefentry">
<span class="refentrytitle"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-rt1"></a>open</span>
(2)
</span>, <span class="citerefentry">
<span class="refentrytitle"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-rt2"></a>fstab</span>
(5)
</span> respectively refers to the <span class="command"><strong>open</strong></span>
page in section 2 and the <span class="command"><strong>fstab</strong></span> page in
section 5.
</p>
<div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<table border="0" summary="Tip">
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Tip]" src="images/tip.png"></td>
<th align="left">Tip</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa13"></a>The easiest way
to view a man page is through a browser. Using
<span class="application">Konqueror</span>, type
<strong class="userinput"><code>man:/man(1)</code></strong> in the
<span class="guilabel">Location</span> bar for the man page for the
<span class="command"><strong>man</strong></span> command to be displayed. For example, to
display the man page for <span class="citerefentry">
<span class="refentrytitle"><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-rt5"></a>fstab</span>
(5)
</span>, type <strong class="userinput"><code>man:/fstab(5)</code></strong> in the
<span class="guilabel">Location</span> field.
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa86"></a>To display a man page in a
terminal (or <code class="systemitem">shell</code>), type
<span class="command"><strong>man</strong></span>. The syntax to obtain a man page is:
</p>
<a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-sc1"></a><pre class="screen">man
<manual page></pre>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa87"></a><span class="command"><strong>man</strong></span> also
has documentation, which can be obtained by typing <span class="command"><strong>man
man</strong></span>. Manual pages are formatted and then displayed using the
<span class="command"><strong>less</strong></span> <em class="glossterm"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-gt1"></a>
pager</em>.
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa14"></a>The names of the
manual pages and their relevant sections appear at the top of each page.
At the bottom of the page are references to other pages with related
subjects (usually in the <span class="emphasis"><em>SEE ALSO</em></span> section).
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa15"></a>You can start by
consulting the pages related to the different commands covered in
<span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph8"></a>the
<em class="citetitle">Reference Manual</em></span> <span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph9"></a>the <em class="citetitle">Reference
Manual</em></span> <span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph10"></a> the <em class="citetitle">Reference
Manual</em></span> : <span class="citerefentry">
<span class="refentrytitle"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-rt3"></a>ls</span>
(1)
</span>, <span class="citerefentry">
<span class="refentrytitle"><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-rt4"></a>chmod</span>
(1)
</span>, etc.
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa16"></a>If you cannot find
the right manual page — for example, you want to use the
<code class="literal">mknod</code> function in one of your programs but you end up
on the <span class="command"><strong>mknod</strong></span> command page — make sure you spell out
the section explicitly. In our example: <span class="command"><strong>man 2 mknod</strong></span>.
If you forget the exact section, <span class="command"><strong>man -a mknod</strong></span> will
read through all the sections looking for pages named
<code class="literal">mknod</code>.
</p>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h3 class="title"><a name="get-doc-chapter-cond2"></a>2.4. Info Pages
</h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa17"></a><span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> pages complete
the documentation included in the manual pages. The command to access
<span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> pages from a terminal is
<span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span>.
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa18"></a>Info pages are organized using a
tree structure, the top of which is called <code class="filename">dir</code>.
From there, you can access all <span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> pages.
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa19"></a><span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> may be
called up in two ways: either by omitting any argument, thereby placing
you at the very top of the tree structure, or by adding a command or a
package name, which (if it exists) opens the relevant page. For example:
<a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pl1"></a></p><pre class="programlisting">info
emacs</pre><p> In the <span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> pages: <a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-sc2"></a></p><pre class="screen">*
Buffers::</pre><p> indicates a link. Moving the cursor to this link
(using the arrow keys) and pressing <strong class="userinput"><code>Enter</code></strong> takes
you to the corresponding <span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> page.
</p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa20"></a>You may also use
the following keyboard shortcuts:
</p>
<div class="itemizedlist">
<ul type="disc">
<li>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa21"></a><span class="keycap"><strong>u</strong></span>: for
<span class="foreignphrase"><em class="foreignphrase">Up</em></span>, takes you up one level;
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa22"></a><span class="keycap"><strong>n</strong></span>: for
<span class="foreignphrase"><em class="foreignphrase">Next</em></span>, takes you to the next
<span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> page on the same tree-structure
level;
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa23"></a><span class="keycap"><strong>p</strong></span>: for
<span class="foreignphrase"><em class="foreignphrase">Prev</em></span>, takes you back to the previous
<span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> page.
</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a name="get-doc-chapter-pa27a"></a><span class="keycap"><strong>q</strong></span>: for
<span class="foreignphrase"><em class="foreignphrase">Quit</em></span>, exits the
<span class="command"><strong>info</strong></span> page viewer.
</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa24"></a>A great number of
commands may be listed by pressing the <span class="keycap"><strong>?</strong></span> key.
</p>
<div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<table border="0" summary="Tip">
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Tip]" src="images/tip.png"></td>
<th align="left">Tip</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa83"></a>You can also
display info pages in <span class="application">Konqueror</span> by using
the <code class="literal">info:/</code> prefix in your URL. For example, to
display the info page for <span class="command"><strong>make</strong></span>, type
<strong class="userinput"><code>info:/make</code></strong> in the <span class="guilabel">Location</span>
field.
</p>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa84"></a>This makes the navigation
through the info pages much easier.
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h3 class="title"><a name="get-doc-chapter-cond3"></a>2.5. HOWTOs
</h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa25"></a><code class="systemitem">HOWTOs</code>
published by the <acronym class="acronym">TLDP</acronym> (The Linux Documentation
Project) are available in many languages and covers many aspects of your
system. <span><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-ph1"></a>As long as the proper packages are
installed (the <code class="filename">howto-html-en</code> package for the
English edition), <code class="systemitem">HOWTOs</code> provide you with an
answer to a specific question or a solution to a problem. The
documentation is located in the
<code class="filename">/usr/share/doc/HOWTO/HTML/en/</code> directory. These are
<acronym class="acronym">HTML</acronym> files readable and printable with any web
browser.</span></p>
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa26"></a>The list is quite
long. To get an idea of its length, consult the
<a class="ulink" href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/howtos.html" target="_top">
TLDP web site</a> .
</p>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa79"></a>When you
encounter a complex problem, start by reading the corresponding
<code class="systemitem">HOWTO</code>, if available. Not only will you be given
a solution to your problem, but you will also learn a great deal at the
same time. Examples of what is covered range from networking
(<code class="filename">NET-3-HOWTO</code>), sound card configuration
(<code class="filename">Sound-HOWTO</code>), the writing of <acronym class="acronym">CD</acronym>
media (<code class="filename">CD-Writing-HOWTO</code>) as well as
<acronym class="acronym">NIS</acronym> and <acronym class="acronym">NFS</acronym> configuration and much
much more.
</p>
<div class="tip" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<table border="0" summary="Tip">
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Tip]" src="images/tip.png"></td>
<th align="left">Tip</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa27"></a>An important step
is to check the modification dates of the
<code class="systemitem">HOWTO</code> documents — such as the publication
date located at the beginning of the document — to make sure they are
up-to-date. Otherwise, the information may be invalid. Watch out for
old <code class="systemitem">HOWTOs</code> relating to hardware
configuration: <span class="application">Linux</span> evolves very quickly
in the hardware area. Something else to keep in mind: in the free
software world, the term “<span class="quote">old</span>” carries even more weight
than in <acronym class="acronym">IT</acronym> in general: free software may be
considered old after being around for only fifteen days!
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<table border="0" summary="Note">
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Note]" src="images/note.png"></td>
<th align="left">Note</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p><a name="BId-get-doc-chapter-pa28"></a><code class="systemitem">HOWTOs</code> are
available on-line on<a class="ulink" href="http://www.tldp.org/" target="_top">
<acronym class="acronym">TLDP</acronym></a> web site and are likely to be slightly
more up-to-date there. Have a look at the following as well: <a class="ulink" href="http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/categories.html" target="_top">
<code class="systemitem">HOWTOs</code> classified by categories</a>, and
<a class="ulink" href="http://www.tldp.org/docs.html#faq" target="_top">
<acronym class="acronym">FAQ</acronym> s</a>.
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="section" lang="en">
<div class="titlepage">
<div>
<div>
<h3 class="title"><a name="get-doc-chapter-cond4"></a>2.6. KDE's
documentation
</h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<a class="indexterm" name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-it8"></a>
<p><a name="BIdNEW-get-doc-chapter-pa80"></a>Selecting
<span class="guimenuitem">More Applications</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Documentation</span> → <span class="guimenuitem">Help</span> from the main menu displays
<span class="application">KDE</span>'s documentation. It gives general
information about <span class="application">KDE</span> as well as the
reference manuals for the individual applications such as
<span class="application">Konqueror</span> .
</p>
</div>
</div>
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<hr>
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<td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="apas01.html">Prev</a>
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<td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="tools-addendum.html">Next</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">1. Mandriva
Linux-Specific Documentation
</td>
<td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td>
<td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Appendix 2. About the Making of this
Manual
</td>
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distrib
>
Mandriva
>
2008.1
>
x86_64
>
media
>
main-release
>
by-pkgid
>
275bc5f884d593fea8c87799d871d7f1
>
files
>
8
