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Re: [ANNOUNCEMENT] Updated: man-db-2.6.7-2
- From: Andrey Repin <anrdaemon at yandex dot ru>
- To: Michael DePaulo <mikedep333 at gmail dot com>, cygwin at cygwin dot com
- Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 04:05:03 +0400
- Subject: Re: [ANNOUNCEMENT] Updated: man-db-2.6.7-2
- Authentication-results: sourceware.org; auth=none
- References: <announce dot 53EDA004 dot 7060207 at cygwin dot com> <CAMKht8jp2tA1SLtXpSs1=ubrfTNQkpwzNUHW7omo0OF4=cvXuw at mail dot gmail dot com> <53EE1737 dot 7080306 at cygwin dot com> <CAMKht8jpQVfDhDorom24OiJ9YE07zBqjDSF5zVfWiFsdN1kaUg at mail dot gmail dot com>
- Reply-to: cygwin at cygwin dot com
Greetings, Michael DePaulo!
>>>>
>>>> This release removes the cache database generation from the postinstall
>>>> step
>>>> due to its often excessive length. Users will need to manage the
>>>> database
>>>> themselves with mandb(1) in order to use whatis/apropos(1).
>>>
>>>
>>> IMHO, this sounds like a serious decrease in Cygwin's usability.
>>>
>>> How do Linux distributions handle this? Linux distros install many
>>> more packages by default, so doesn't their cache database generation
>>> typically take much longer?
>>
>>
>> Exactly why they don't seem to do it during postinstall either. For
>> example, in Fedora this is handled by a cron job. A future release may add
>> that functionality, but it is clear that postinstall is the wrong place for
>> it.
> I disagree, but I need to read more about the subject in order to have
> a well-informed opinion.
The TL;DR version of the issue is that compilation of database is slow and
prone to fail, plus the database should be re-indexed each time a page is
added, removed or changed.
If Cygwin do this only at man-db postinstall, the database WILL go out of
reality pretty soon.
>>> Also, should documentation (or perhaps the info a user sees when they
>>> start Cygwin for the 1st time) be updated?
>>
>>
>> How so?
>>
>> Yaakov
> Consider the example of where I work. After I install the corporate IT
> department's SCCM "package"/"script" for Cygwin (1.7.16, last updated
> August 2012), I am greeted by this message every time I start the
> Cygwin Terminal:
> ----
> Your group is currently "mkpasswd". This indicates that your
> gid is not in /etc/group and your uid is not in /etc/passwd.
This is about to change in a short while.
> I am not suggesting that users see a mandb message every time they
> launch cygwin.
This could be resolved in a more graceful way. I.e. motd/fortune/etc.
> But I am suggesting that that users see it when they
> 1st launch cygwin. They already see this message:
> ----
> Copying skeleton files.
> These files are for the users to personalise their cygwin experience.
> They will never be overwritten nor automatically updated.
Users will only see this message, if the $HOME directory is created anew.
I, for one, do not see a reason to keep Cygwin users' $HOMEs separate from a
system %USERPROFILE%.
> Also, users who are particularly reliant on the apropos command
> probably don't know about running the mandb command. It's analogous to
> users launching the Windows "Help and Support" Center, but its search
> bar returning 0 results they haven't run another utility 1st.
That's an issue worth resolving. We just need to find a way to do it in a
non-abusive fashion.
--
WBR,
Andrey Repin (anrdaemon@yandex.ru) 16.08.2014, <03:57>
Sorry for my terrible english...
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