On Debian systems, you can find documentation in at least the
following places:
◼ man pages, read with the man command.
◼ info pages, read with the info command.
◼ The /usr/doc/_package_ directories, where package is the name of
the Debian package.
Tip:
zless is useful for reading the files in /usr/doc; see section
8.1 on page [*] for details.
◼ /usr/doc/HOWTO/contains the Linux Documentation Project’s HOWTO
documents, if you’ve installed the Debian packages containing
them.
◼ Many commands have an -h or -help option. Type the command name
followed by one of these options to try it.
◼ The Debian Documentation Project[1] has written some manuals.
◼ The Debian support page[2] has a FAQ and other resources. You
can also try the Linux web site[3].
[1] http://www.debian.org/~elphick/ddp/
[2] http://www.debian.org/support/
[3] http://www.linux.org
The confusing variety of documentation sources exists for many
reasons. For example, info is supposed to replace man, but man
hasn’t disappeared yet. However, it’s nice to know that so much
documentation exists!
So where to look for help? Here are some suggestions:
◼ Use the man pages and the -help or -h option to get a quick
summary of a command’s syntax and options. Also use man if a
program doesn’t yet have an info page.
◼ Use info if a program has info documentation.
◼ If neither of those works, look in /usr/doc/_packagename_.
◼ /usr/doc/_packagename_ often has Debian-specific information,
even if there’s a man page or info page.
◼ Use the HOWTOs for instructions on how to set up a particular
thing or for information on your particular hardware. For example,
the Ethernet HOWTO has a wealth of information on Ethernet cards,
and the PPP HOWTO explains in detail how to set up PPP.
◼ Use the Debian Documentation Project manuals for conceptual
explanations and Debian-specific information.
◼ If all else fails, ask someone. See section A.1.3 on page [*].
Using man pages is discussed above in section 5.1 on page [*].
It’s very simple: press the space bar to go to the next page, and
press q to quit reading. Using info, viewing files in /usr/doc,
and asking for help from a person are all discussed in the
remainder of this chapter.