May 2022
Beginner
38m
English
Overview
Welcome to this course on man pages, where you'll learn the ins and outs of the built-in help and documentation system found on Mac, Unix, and Linux-based operating systems.
At the beginning of the course, you'll learn the absolute essential basics, such as how to navigate individual man pages as well as how to navigate the entire man page system.
From there, you'll learn all the conventions used in man pages. If you don't know these conventions, trying to decipher a man page can be overwhelming and the documentation will appear to be filled with random punctuation. However, every single one of those seemingly random characters has a very specific meaning, and you'll learn all of them in detail.
Next, you’ll learn about order for command line options, and when it matters. Plus, you'll learn the proper way to combine command line options and how to decipher any Linux, Mac, or Unix command you see.
Of course, you'll put what you've learned to use by looking at actual man pages and by crafting commands based on what you find in those man pages.
You'll also learn the rules for writing man pages, including what components, sections, and elements to include. You can use this as a guide if you ever need or want to write documentation for any commands or scripts that you create.
Finally, you'll learn how to get help for commands that don't have their own dedicated man pages.
In short, when you complete this course, you'll be a man page expert.
Distributed by Manning Publications
This course was created independently by Linux Training Academy and is distributed by Manning through our exclusive liveVideo platform.
About the Technology
About the Video
What's Inside
After completing this course, you'll never have to Google what command to use or how to use a given command again. You'll be able to find the correct command you need, determine the exact options to use, and confidently know what the command will do before you run it. And you'll be able to do all this without having to dig through search results or random forum posts that contain conflicting information. You'll finally be self-sufficient when it comes to using the command line.
About the Reader
- No experience is required. You will learn everything you need to know about man pages in this course.
About the Author
Jason Cannon started his career as a Unix and Linux System Engineer in 1999. Since that time he has utilized his Linux skills at companies such as Xerox, UPS, Hewlett-Packard, and Amazon.com. Additionally, he has acted as a technical consultant and independent contractor for small businesses and Fortune 500 companies.
Jason has professional experience with CentOS, RedHat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, and Ubuntu. He has used several Linux distributions on personal projects including Debian, Slackware, CrunchBang, and others. In addition to Linux, Jason has experience supporting proprietary Unix operating systems including AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris.
He enjoys teaching others how to use and exploit the power of the Linux operating system. He is also the author of the books "Linux for Beginners" and "Command Line Kung Fu."
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