Re: (OT) path_helper [was Re: Xterm not reading dotfiles]
Re: (OT) path_helper [was Re: Xterm not reading dotfiles]
- Subject: Re: (OT) path_helper [was Re: Xterm not reading dotfiles]
- From: Merton Campbell Crockett <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2007 15:56:27 -0800
On 18 Nov 2007, at 15:10:55, Nathaniel Gray wrote:
I was also surprised to find path_helper setting the MANPATH, since
it's both unnecessary and counterproductive to do so. These days
man
uses the configuration setup in /etc/man.conf to automatically work
out the proper man page for a given executable *unless* MANPATH is
set. So if MANPATH is set I have to remember to configure it in
addition to PATH instead of letting man just be smart about it.
The thing I dislike about /etc/man.conf is that it isn't consistent.
Every system I've used respects MANPATH when set. However, FreeBSD
doesn't have man.conf, and the FreeBSD man(1) man page (ha!) doesn't
mention it. Plus, having path_helper manage both sets gives me a
single place to govern these things. This seems to be inspired by the
Gentoo env-update system, which is a much more general mechanism for
setting environment options.
Ok, but this isn't FreeBSD or Gentoo, this is Mac OS X. (Is
path_helper standard on other systems?) We like things simpler 'round
here. As it is you have *two* config sets to worry about
(/etc/paths{,.d/*} and /etc/manpaths{,.d/*}) when you only need one.
Plus, if you use man.conf and add something to your path on-the-fly
then manpath Just Works, which seems very Mac.
Yet again, where is the documentation for this feature? If you look
at the man pages for man or man.conf, you will be told that /usr/share/
misc/man.conf is the configuration file for man. It doesn't exist.
The only reference to /etc/manpaths{.d} that I have found is in the
path_helper man page. This is unique to Mac. It only "Just Works" if
you know about it.
Installation scripts for cross-platform applications will not know
that they need to modify /etc/manpaths.d/X11 or /etc/paths.d/X11.
Even the MacPorts distribution developed for the Mac OS X environment
doesn't know about this. It still admonishes users of MacPorts to
create a $HOME/.profile file to update MANPATH and PATH.
This raises a question about updating /etc/paths.d/X11 and /etc/
manpaths.d/X11. Will they be present in Mac OS X 11.6? Will future
Mac OS X 11 installation scripts do the "right thing" and merge user
changes with the new versions of /etc/path, /etc/path.d/X11, /etc/
manpath, and /etc/manpath.d/X11? Will any file in the /etc/*path.d/
directory be included so that I can have a unique localization?
Merton Campbell Crockett
email@hidden
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