Re: User manual: basic commands chapter

[Carey Evans <c.evans@clear.net.nz>]

"Oliver Elphick" <olly@lfix.co.uk> writes:

>                       Debian GNU/Linux User's Manual
>                       ------------------------------
>              Ardo van Rangelrooij<ardo.van.rangelrooij@tip.nl>
>                        version 0.1, 8 December 1997

[snip]

>      If you need to change your path, you should add the new directories to
>      the end of the list; the current directory (.) should go last of all.
>      The command to use is `export PATH=$PATH:<new_directory>'[1] .

I don't believe in having "." in the PATH at all.  Maybe you could
mention something like this:

     You may choose not to have the current directory (.) in the path
     for security reasons.  You can still run programs in the current
     directory by typing `./<program>' instead.

Maybe `test' should be mentioned around here?  When someone compiles a
"hello world" as `test' and types test to run it, nothing happens.

[snip]

>      fg
>           If you are running one job and want to run something else in the
>           same screen without stopping the first job, you can put the first
>           job in the background by typing Ctrl-Z. You can then run other
>           commands. If the first job wants to send anything to the screen,
>           it will stop and wait. You can bring it forward again and let it
>           continue by using the command fg.

When you type Ctrl-Z, the current job stops.  To let it start running
again, you need to type `bg'.  Then it will stop and wait when it
tries to use the screen.  You could say something about how Ctrl-Z
then `bg' is very useful for X Windows programs.

[snip]

> 5.2.5. Special characters in commands
> -------------------------------------

[snip]

>      &
>           & runs the preceding pipeline in the background

Which is the same as running it, typing Ctrl-Z then `bg'.

[snip]

     !
          Reverses the logical exit status of the command or pipeline
          following.

          Does history expansion based on the following characters.

-- 
    Carey Evans  <*>  http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/c.evans/  gc

% rm * .o
rm: .o: No such file or directory


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