allbery@ncoast.UUCP (Brandon Allbery) (07/27/87)
As quoted from <758@custom.UUCP> by boykin@custom.UUCP (Joseph Boykin): +--------------- | In article <2459@whuts.UUCP>, tes@whuts.UUCP (STERKEL) writes: | (about a problem involving sort, which can be solved via the man page) | | There are a bunch of options which help delimit what a field looks | like, sorting order, etc. Check sort(1) for details. +--------------- PET PEEVE TIME!!! Anyone who's been forced to use Xenix 3.0 _knows_ that the man pages are strictly _optional_. PLEASE, don't assume that everyone's got the man pages -- some brain-damaged resellers leave them out or make them optional or put them in the development system or etc.! Some people at Oberlin College here can't install a copy of a program given to them on PC disks onto their 3B2/300 because the manuals weren't given to them with the system, so they can't find the command to use to read the PC disks, although they are certain that there is one. 3B2s, FOR G*D'S SAKE! If AT&T can omit the manuals, so can anyone else! Sad, decidedly bogus behavior, but unfortunately it seems to be true. I _replied_ to the original posting, and gave a (hopefully) clear description of the way to use the "sort" command. Because I've had to use systems that didn't have manuals. If the UN*X (re-)sellers start doing bogus things with the manuals, then people will post to the net for help, and it behooves those who know the answer to help the unfortunates. (Or to support GNU, and thereby thumb their noses at the bogus (re-)sellers.) -- Brandon S. Allbery, moderator of comp.sources.misc and comp.binaries.ibm.pc {{harvard,mit-eddie}!necntc,well!hoptoad,sun!cwruecmp!hal}!ncoast!allbery ARPA: necntc!ncoast!allbery@harvard.harvard.edu Fido: 157/502 MCI: BALLBERY <<ncoast Public Access UNIX: +1 216 781 6201 24hrs. 300/1200/2400 baud>>