New: apropos2, an improved apropos command

[Tony Nelson]

I have written an improved apropos that only matches entries containing all
search words.

I'm hoping to get some feedback from the list before trying to post to a
wider audience.  I posted this on Saturday, but fewer people seem to read
the list on the weekend.  One more time (only).

[OK, /two/ more times, as the last one seems to have gotten lost in the RH
server rearrangement.]

--

Apropos is a command in the man package that shows entries in the whatis
database that match a search word.  Often there are many matches, and one
might like to winnow them down by typing more words.  Instead, apropos
prints all the matches for each word, making the problem worse.  One can
pipe the apropos output to grep, but I have something better.

<http://georgeanelson.com/apropos2.htm>

Apropos2 is an improved apropos that shows only entries that match all the
words.  This makes apropos2 much better for finding a command you are
looking for.  I present it here first in hopes that it will be useful, and
that it will be used and tested by some of the people on this list.  If I
get positive feedback, I will try to submit apropos2 (and the feedback) to
the man maintainers.  This is my first RPM.  It is GPL'd, like the apropos
command it is derived from.

Apropos2 is easy to install and use.  Download and install the apropos
binary rpm:

    $ su -
    <root password>
    # rpm -i /path/to/apropos2-1.0.1-1_GAN.noarch.rpm
    # exit
    $ apropos front back

The rpm sets up an alias so you can use the apropos command name, but get
the improved apropos2.  The alias is removed if the rpm is uninstalled.
Nothing in the man package is changed, and updating man should not affect
apropos2.
____________________________________________________________________
TonyN.:'                       <mailto:tonynelson at georgeanelson.com>
      '                              <http://www.georgeanelson.com/>