[Info-vax] "Shanghai Stock Exchange" and OpenVMS

Tue Jan 27 18:57:27 EST 2009

On Jan 27, 12:13 pm, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> In article <19dfe02a-d7a7-4d0c-be27-1c4ba069a... at f18g2000vbf.googlegroups.com>,
>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
>
>
>
> > On Jan 27, 10:14 am, "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilber... at comcast.net>
> > wrote:
> >> AEF wrote:
> >> > On Jan 26, 10:16 am, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> >> >> In article <342d9c74-0b26-4c4b-9dd2-527d08958... at o36g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>,
> >> >>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
>
> >> >>> On Jan 24, 3:59 pm, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> >> >>>> In article <5288d49e-e43a-463e-a02c-bffcf1393... at o4g2000pra.googlegroups.com>,
> >> >>>>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
> >> >>>>> On Jan 23, 9:38 am, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> >> >>>>>> In article <05b548fd-8d1f-48c9-80c4-777bf5f6c... at q35g2000vbi.googlegroups.com>,
> >> >>>>>>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
> >> >>>>>>> On Jan 22, 8:41 pm, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> >> >>>>>>>> In article <abd32391-46d6-49e4-aa1c-58d74dcc7... at p2g2000prn.googlegroups.com>,
> >> >>>>>>>>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
> >> >>>>>>>>> On Jan 22, 3:31 pm, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> >> >>>>>>>>>> In article <CKqdnel_5rWYS-XUnZ2dnUVZ_v_in... at giganews.com>,
> >> >>>>>>>>>>         "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilber... at comcast.net> writes:
> >> >>>>>>>>>>> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> >> >>>>>>>>>>>> In article <0005d0dd$0$2088$c3e8... at news.astraweb.com>,
> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>        JF Mezei <jfmezei.spam... at vaxination.ca> writes:
> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
> >> >>> [...]
> > [...]
> >> >>> [...]
> >> >>>> So complain to MS.  I think the fact that the online VMS docs don't
> >> >>>> include an equivalent to the Unix apropos command as a serious
> >> >>>> shortcoming.  We all have our pet peeves.  :-)
> >> >>> Well, there is Help Hints, and I can't remember the last time I was on
> >> >>> a Unix system that actually _had_ apropos.
> >> >> Huh?  I can't remember one that didn't.  Oh wait, anything runnng real
> >> >> AT&T SYS V.  They didn't provide any manuals. expecting you to buy paper
> >> >> one's from Prentice-Hall.  No man pages, no apropos. And we all know how
> >> >> well AT&T did in the IT business.  :-)
>
> >> >> So, what current version of Unix are you using that does not support the
> >> >> apropos or "man -k" command?  (Hint: they are the exact same command!)
>
> >> > bash-3.00$ apropos
> >> > apropos what?
> >> > bash-3.00$ aspopos copy
> >> > bash: aspopos: command not found
> >> > bash-3.00$ man -k
> >> > usage:  man [-] [-adFlrt] [-M path] [-T macro-package ] [ -s section ]
> >> > name ...
> >> >         man [-M path] -k keyword ...
> >> >         man [-M path] -f file ...
> >> > bash-3.00$ man -k copy
> >> > /usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
> >> > bash-3.00$
> > I misspelled apropos. It was late. (\&-){
> >                                      \ /
> >                                       V
> > Here's the corrected version:
> > bash-3.00$ man -k copy
> > /usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
> > bash-3.00$ apropos copy
> > /usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
> > bash-3.00$ man -k
> > usage:  man [-] [-adFlrt] [-M path] [-T macro-package ] [ -s section ]
> > name ...
> >         man [-M path] -k keyword ...
> >         man [-M path] -f file ...
> > bash-3.00$ apropos
> > apropos what?
> > bash-3.00$
>
> My suggestion.  Stop using Unix.

Now how is that going to show me how to use the apropos command?

> >> > OK, how do I learn how to copy? How do I find out the version? I know
> >> > it's Solaris something, probably 8.
>
> >> cp

Yes, I know that's the copy command. I was wondering how you use the
apropos command. I thought you were supposed to give it a search word
like copy and it would come up with the man page for cp or something
like that. I guess I'll have to hunt down the answer on the Web. I
even tried man apropos and it says:

NAME
     apropos - locate commands by keyword lookup

SYNOPSIS
     apropos keyword...

DESCRIPTION
     The apropos utility displays  the  man  page  name,  section
     number, and a short description for each man page whose NAME
     line contains keyword.  This information is contained in the

Okay, copy is in the "NAME line" for cp, yet apropos copy does not
give the man page for cp or even mention cp:

NAME
     cp - copy files

Okay, the keyword 'copy' is in the NAME line. But:

bash-3.00$ man -k copy files
/usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
/usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
bash-3.00$ man -k copy
/usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
bash-3.00$ apropos copy
/usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
bash-3.00$ apropos files
/usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
bash-3.00$ apropos 'copy files'
/usr/share/man/windex: No such file or directory
bash-3.00$

OK, what am I missing?

> >> uname -r
>
> >> In the more general case you buy or borrow a book called "Solaris for
> >> Complete Idiots", or some similar title.  You can generally find one or
> >> three at  a big book store.  Or, you can just go to Amazon.com and
> >> search for "Solaris".  You will probably have to qualify that because
> >> the name "Solaris" is used for other things than Operating Systems.
>
> >> When you finish the book, you'll still be a complete idiot but you may
> >> have learned how to copy, how to find out the O/S version, etc.  Note
> >> that getting hard copy output is part of the advanced course!!
> > Thanks, Richard.
> > I meant "How do I learn how to copy in Unix using the apropos
> > command"? Bill is telling us how great the command is and I'm already
> > having trouble using it.
>
> See above.  Nothing I say or do is going to change your bias so there is
> really no reason for me to waste my time.
>
> > BTW, have you ever seen Unix for Dummies? It's unbelievably bad and
> > hyper-corny.
>
> Al the "* for Dummies" books are that way.  It is quite deliberate.  I
> don't believe any of them are actually intended to teach anything, just
> make money for the autors and publisher.

This one is even worse. I've seen some of the others but none of the
few I've perused through were this bad.

New! From IDG books: DOS for Dummkopfs.
>
> bill
>
> --
> Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
> billg... at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
> University of Scranton   |
> Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>  

AEF