manwhich: Deriving MANPATH from PATH [PSARC/2007/688 FastTrack timeout 12/19/2007]

[Danek Duvall]

On Thu, Dec 13, 2007 at 10:01:37AM -0800, Garrett D'Amore wrote:

> Ever install a package in ~?  It does come up...  ./configure 
> --prefix=${HOME}

Then executables go in ~/bin and man pages in ~/man.  Thus ../man works
just fine.  What's the special case here?

> I also know of at least one major site that uses 
> /pkg/${PKG}/(bin,man,info,lib}  etc.   Right now they have the notion of 
> "subscribing" to a package, which basically puts /pkg/${PKG}/bin in the 
> PATH, and /pkg/${PKG}/man in the MANPATH.

Ditto here.

> It would be nicer if they only had to worry about PATH, and didn't have
> to worry about MANPATH being out of sync with PATH.

Sure, absolutely.  But if Mike's proposal is to look in ../man, then this
likely handles 99% of the cases or more.  Show me a case where this doesn't
work today.  Otherwise, why not push fixing this hole until we actually
find that the hole exists?

Danek