GNU bug report logs - #51311
[PATCH] echo: update --help to document edge cases

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Package: coreutils;

Reported by: Florent Flament <contact <at> florentflament.com>

Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2021 02:14:01 UTC

Severity: normal

Tags: patch

Done: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>

Bug is archived. No further changes may be made.

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Message #25 received at 51311 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bernhard Voelker <mail <at> bernhard-voelker.de>
To: Pádraig Brady <P <at> draigBrady.com>,
 Florent Flament <contact <at> florentflament.com>
Cc: 51311 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#51311: [PATCH] echo: update --help to document edge cases
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2021 16:58:33 +0200
On 10/22/21 16:21, Pádraig Brady wrote:
> Thanks for all the input.
> I've now pushed the following to address this:
> 
> https://git.sv.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=coreutils.git;a=commitdiff;h=f60a3981c
> 
> Notes:
>   - Brevity in --help and man pages is a feature
>   - I kept the existing NOTE: style in --help to avoid a separate [NOTES] in man
>   - I only detailed the edge cases in the info manual,
>       as directing users to printf(1) is the better most general option
>   - It's easy to get to online info pages now by following the link
>       at the bottom of all man pages

Thanks, I like it.

FWIW the biggest trap for users is still that in ~95% of the cases it is the
shell's builtin which gets called instead of that of the coreutils.
Hence, we've been improving the documentation for the users which
unsuspectingly read coreutils 'man echo' instead of that of the shell.

Have a nice day,
Berny





This bug report was last modified 3 years and 268 days ago.

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