man command question

[g]

On 03/10/14 03:27, Cameron Simpson wrote:
> On 09Mar2014 21:41, g <geleem at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>> being that no one asked, i will.
>> why would someone send a man page to a null device?
>> to a printer, file, another terminal, yes. /dev/null, never.
>
> The same reason one might send anything to /dev/null; to execise
> the command without keeping the output. Test frameworks, etc etc.
>
>> because intent of 'man' is not to send output to /dev/null,
>> why should it written to do so?
>
> It should have a sensible default when it doesn't know the output
> width by inspection. For example, when piped to something else.
>
>> such is not intent of 'man', therefore, i would not consider
>> doing such as a bug. other than person doing so. ;-)
>
> The only way to support a default width but still have it break on
> /dev/null (as you seem to want it to) is to special case /dev/null
> and detect it specificly, and perform badly in that special occasion.
>
> That seems insane.

cameron, thank you.

your wording justifies my whole point.

_man_ is for viewing/printing pages of information regarding an
operation, configuration, etc.

just what good/use is such information if a user sends output to
/dev/null?

you think /dev/null is going to benefit from such information?

i think not.

just why would anyone, other than op, want to send output of 'man'
to /dev/null?

it is not for testing and sending output to a null device to see
if it will or not.

being that 'man' gives an error feed back when miss directed, it
gives user indication that user has improperly used the command.
which may even be an additional that authors coded into man command.
some coders are forward thinking.

in closing, *i* am not wanting to see 'man' break when miss directed,
tho i do like concept that when miss used, man will let me know that
i have miss used it.

but it is evident that the op did, else, he would not have directed
output to /dev/null, nor would he have started this thread letting
readers know that he "broke man".

as for myself, i do not believe that i would be spouting off about
having found that something breaks when miss used. :-)

doing such might be something to, using your word, insane. i would
not call it such. tho it is borderline.


-- 

peace out.

in a world with out fences, who needs gates.

tc.hago.

g
.