SuperLinux Encyclopedia - General Linux documentation

Typical places on your Linux computer to find documentation and help:

• /usr/doc/
• /usr/local/doc/
• /usr/src/linux/Documentation/ [mostly OS and hardware related]
• Shell command: "man -k query-string" or "man command-name"
• Shell command: "info" or "info command-or-subject-name"
• Shell command: "help shell-command-or-subject-name"
• Shell command: "rpm -qi package-name" or "rpm -qia" (for all packages)
• Emacs command: "M-x info" ("Meta" or "Alt" key and "x" key, then enter "info")

The most important documentation sources:

• Linux Resources (by the Linux Journal publisher, SSC)
• HOWTO Index  Index of HOWTO documents about Linux.
• META-FAQ A listing of Linux sources of information. (LDP's at sunsite)
• Linux FAQs  From the LDP.
• Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
• Linux Docs (Linux/docs directory at sunsite)
• comp.os.linux.announce Archive (at sunsite)
• Linux Documentation Project (LDP):
  • LDP homepage (at sunsite)
  • LDP Homepage (at WGS)
  • LDP homepage (at SSC)
• Also see Linux sites of unknown specialty (mostly personal Linux pages)

Other important documentation:

• Linux Fact Sheet
• FAQs:
  • Linux FAQs  From the LDP.
  • Linux Frequently Asked Questions with Answers (old)
  • BLFAQ - Brief Linux FAQ
  • Red Hat Linux User's FAQ 
  • Linux Newbie FAQ
  • FAQs associated with newsgroups:
    • FAQS.org  Access to USENET FAQs.
    • RTFM's FAQ repository (FTP dir)  reorganization  (With some related docs like Linux HOWTO-Index and INFO-SHEET).
• HOWTOs and mini-HOWTOs:
  • Cannonical main index
  • Linux HOWTOs (converted to Aportis Doc format for PP by Dave Strout)
  • sunsite ftp directory of unmaintained HOWTOs These are kept around since old documentation is sometimes better than none. However, you should be aware that you are reading old documentation.
  • HOWTO Maintenance Project
• Manual pages (man pages):
  • Manual pages (man pages)  at SSC.
  • TkMan  Dec'97 LG
  • Writing man pages:
    • Man Page mini-HOWTO  How to write man pages.
    • Read the man(7) man page with "man 7 man" (or M-x man ^m man(7) in Emacs).
    • Use an existing man page as a template and modify as needed, using man(7) only as needed. Look at several before choosing one. There is more variety than one might think.
• RFCs  There is a large amount of information in the form of RFCs (Requests For Comments). There are several search sites listed at the linked site.

Other general documentation:

• CBI Computer Manuals (Charles Babbage Institute; misc manuals 1948-now)
• Documentation for Freely-Available Software
• Freshmeat: Documentation
• Linux Knowledge Base
• Linux Software Encyclopedia
• Red Hat Documentation Page (for their products; Linux, Motif, Applixware, CDE, RPM, PowerTools)
• Unix Information and Help (site at U.of Virginia)
• UNIXhelp for Users
• Networked Computer Science Technical Reference Library  Has ACM Digital library freely available and more.
• Index of Misc Technical Papers at Wisconsin U.

End of page.