HELP system for UNIX SysV R2

Stephen Wolff steve at brl-tgr
Mon Feb 11 08:17:24 AEST 1985


The trouble with all the `help' facilities I've suffered under is that they
are keyword-based.  That's ok if I've got the right idea and the right word.

However, if I've got the right idea but the wrong word I'm out of luck:
("man -k delete" won't tell me to use `rm' to delete a file).  It would seem
from my uninitiated view to be a trivial but tedious job to key on synonyms
as well.

Oddly, if I have both the wrong word and the wrong idea, then there are at
least three AI `helps' in the works that will correct my misperceptions and
tell me what I need to know.

Nothing beats the on-line manual.  The VMS `HELP' is so condescending and
marginally informative I want to put a wrench through the screen every time.



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