Change 'magic' to give help without network access

Request new features that might make using Gentoox better.
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Krazy
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Change 'magic' to give help without network access

Post by Krazy »

Hi all,

This is a request to improve magic's friendliness to n00bs, like myself.

'magic' should have a command line option (e.g. help, --help, -h, --h) that tells you briefly what 'magic' is and how to use it.

Why? Well there is no help otherwise, and typing "man magic" will definitely confuse you (since its not the same thing)!

For starters, I'm thinking that the help text you'd see would correspond to what "magic usage" shows now. However it would print this immediately without requiring network access to download a new version etc. It is very unsettling for a command to do something (like update itself) before you can find out what it does!!!

There should be a highlighted note in the displayed text that says something like: "Because magic updates itself before any other operation is performed, network access is essential."

The help text should also give an indication that port 2000 needs to be open for those of us that have firewalls to navigate. Not everybody will think of looking in the magic script to retrieve the port number!

And finally, the help should say 'magic' is not to be confused with the manual entry for magic i.e "magic - file command's magic number file"

Thanks for listening. :wink:

Regards,
- Grant.
souteneur3190
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umm

Post by souteneur3190 »

I dont think all that is neccesary everything is on this web site. And its not that hard man, just type magic and gentoox is fully updated. I dont think I could make it any simpler.
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Krazy
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Post by Krazy »

souteneur3190 said:
I dont think all that is neccesary everything is on this web site.
Well of course you can go to the main pages http://gentoox.shallax.com, but all commands should either have help*, or a man page.
(* Even if the help only refers you to some web address!)

My other points IMHO are still valid:
-the 'usage' help shouldn't rely on having a current network connection.
-there is no indication you need port 2000 open, magic just fails with the message:
Downloading magic [server test] failed, please try again later. Press enter to quit...
Of course, you'll likely to keep trying, but never succeed. :(
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souteneur3190
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Post by souteneur3190 »

Krazy wrote:souteneur3190 said:
I dont think all that is neccesary everything is on this web site.
Well of course you can go to the main pages http://gentoox.shallax.com, but all commands should either have help*, or a man page.
(* Even if the help only refers you to some web address!)

My other points IMHO are still valid:
-the 'usage' help shouldn't rely on having a current network connection.
-there is no indication you need port 2000 open, magic just fails with the message:
Downloading magic [server test] failed, please try again later. Press enter to quit...
Of course, you'll likely to keep trying, but never succeed. :(
How did you know that you needed port 2000 open? You looked it up right ? You helped yourself. Im not trying to be nasty but Linux is not for lazy people. I mean how would you feel for instance u spent hours typing a manual on how to make an air plane, and some one comes up to you and asks how to make one. You would be pretty annoyed. I used to be like this too but trust me most of the information you need is there. and also i know there is a command like that and it IS on the web site, but im going to let you find that out.

PEACE!
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Krazy
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Post by Krazy »

souteneur3190 said:
How did you know that you needed port 2000 open? You looked it up right ? You helped yourself.
Yes, I did look it up for myself. As a Linux N00b (but a long time *nix user), I'm likely to try and help myself first. If I can.
Im not trying to be nasty but Linux is not for lazy people.
No, you're not being nasty, and I'm not trying to be either, but I think there are little touches that can be made to improve things for ppl who don't know what shell scripts are about.

Lets face it, Shallax has done such as sterling job at Home 4.0 [& Pro 2 etc], that just about any fool user could install it :D

Are my suggestions petty? Perhaps. If Shallax figures he doesn't have time or can't be bothered then that's his decision. 8)

... and that's all he wrote
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B4tm4n
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Post by B4tm4n »

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cheesyboofs
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Post by cheesyboofs »

:?:
Why the hell would you want to run a update tool (MAGIC) without a network connection.
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rocketeer
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Post by rocketeer »

I think your points are fully valid. IMO there should be a --help option and a man page for all *nix commands which are expected to be used frequently. There is a man page in section 4 for another "magic" - true, but there are other sections available.

I understand Shallax does things his way, and he is entitled to. I'm just expressing my opinion, which I'm entitled to :wink:
vplayer
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Post by vplayer »

a command needs a help page... not a script. I think magic is a script that helps you to do an easy emerge.

and people who dare to install and use linux are no strangers on doing a little research, opening scripts and finding out what they do..
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