Re: man(1) oddity - was: HEADS UP: bzip2(1) compression for manpages...

On Mon, 19 May 2003, Ruslan Ermilov wrote:
>
> Then realize what I've been trying to tell you: this is not the
> problem of root vs. non-root, rather the message is only displayed
> if we create a catpage, and we know we'll only display it to the
> user after the whole manpage is formatted.  My example with
> renaming cat8 was ought to hint you about this.

Please realise what I've been trying to tell you: there is a difference in
the user experience when one types `man ppp` on a 4.8 box and when one
types `man ppp` on a 5.1-B box.  On a 4.8 box the user types `man ppp`,
gets a message, then waits around 10 seconds for the page to display. On a
5.1-B box the user types `man ppp` and DOES NOT GET A MESSAGE BUT HAS TO
WAIT 10 SECONDS before the page is displayed.

You keep saying that the page will be displayed quickly because groff is
piping it to the pager, but this does not happen - there is always a
considerable delay perhaps because groff is formatting..

> What are you proposing?  Should we display every action that
> we're making?

I want the same behaviour as is in 4.8-RELEASE.

> In other words: THERE IS NOTHING TO WAIT FOR in the case when
> a catpage is not created, man(1) already launches the command
> that will display you the output; the fact that it's somewhat
> slow is irrelevant here.  When, on the other hand, a catpage
> is getting created, the command that displays the output is
> NOT run immediately; rather, a "Please wait, formatting ..."
> is displayed, the formatting is done (and the result is saved
> to a .cat file), and only after that the command that shows
> you the manpage (catpage) is run:

So it IS a root vs. non-root thing, because non-root cannot create a
catpage anymore.


> Scenario 1:		Scenario 2:
> Please wait...,		format | display (simultaneously)
> then format,
> then display.


Scene 1 does not happen for a Normal user anymore. Please understand this.
The message does not appear to the user.


--

 :{ andyf_at_speednet.com.au

        Andy Farkas
    System Administrator
   Speednet Communications
 http://www.speednet.com.au/