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Mail Archives: djgpp/1997/08/20/05:47:45

From: Christopher Croughton <crough45 AT amc DOT de>
Message-Id: <97Aug20.114029gmt+0100.17042@internet01.amc.de>
Subject: Re: Info (was The DJGPP Oracle)
To: eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il (Eli Zaretskii)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 10:45:14 +0100
Cc: crough45 AT amc DOT de, djgpp AT delorie DOT com
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.970818190139.17793C-100000@is> from "Eli Zaretskii" at Aug 18, 97 05:19:13 pm
Mime-Version: 1.0

Eli Zaretskii wrote:

> Sorry, you didn't read the docs.  Every command in Info can get an 
> argument, which can be negative (for doing it backwards).  An argument of 
> N means do it N times, then stop.  It works for every command.

In order to read the docs on info, one needs info, which to use means that 
you need to read the docs...

(Infinite recursion: see infinite recursion)

I don't find "-1s" to be particularly intuitive...

> > How about maintaining a list
> > of what has been searched for (in less I can do '/' then scroll through
> > the list of things I've searched for and re-search or change them)?
> 
> Info remembers all the nodes you visit (no matter how did you get there) 
> on a stack-like list.  The `l' (for `last') command will pop the stack 
> and land you in the last-visited place.

No, I said 'search'.  I want to seach for the last string but two, from 
the current position.

> It doesn't.  But it puts the cursor at the word, so you can still locate
> it easily.  I do agree that it would be nice to use colors, though.  Maybe
> the latest version 3.11 does that already, I didn't have time to look at
> it yet. 

'less' will highlight all occurrences on the string on the page.  You can
also tell it not to do so...

> No, Info doesn't support mouse at all.  It would make more sense to you 
> if you were using Emacs.  The first Info reader was written for Emacs.  
> The stand-alone version was written after that, and is a faithful 
> look-alike, including the way you type commands and give them arguments 
> etc.

And without the ability to customise it, I assume (at least Emacs does
include full customisation of keys and functins, and even a VI emulation
mode).

> > -f some_file - info finds the term with plain "info xxx" if and only if
> > the info files are linked into its database.  Otherwise you have to specify
> > the file.
> 
> Well, doesn't your `dir' file include all the Info files?  If it does, 
> you don't need -f.  If it doesn't, just add them with an editor (even if 
> it is vim ;-).

My installation is bog standard DJGPP, and it doesn't support "info strcpy".
Of course, no man pages are supplied now - if they were it would just be a
matter of copying them into the appropriate directory (something any
competent install script would do) andthen you could access them without 
having to edit anything (what would I put in a 'dir' file?  Where would I
find it?).

> We should know better.  The majority of compilers don't warn you about 
> incorrect format strings in a call to `printf', but GCC does.  

Incorrectly, in some cases (in particular involving variable formatting,
like %*.*s, where it gets confused about which argument is which).

It's irrelevant to info.

> I use 
> Microsoft-style hypertext ``help'' too much to know how poorly it does
> even compared to non-GUI program like Info.

Well, the MS help files are a particularly bad example, half the information
isn't even there.

> PageUp, PageDown and cursor keys work also, and `l', as mentioned above, 
> returns you back in exactly the same way you went forward.

When I've tried it, if it goes from one subject (topic?) to another then
page up doesn't always return to the original one.

Sometime perhaps I'll implement my own info reader / reformatter...

Chris C

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