doc: Add "Documentation" section.

* doc/guix.texi (Documentation): New node.
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Ludovic Courtès 2017-04-05 22:44:27 +02:00
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@ -165,6 +165,7 @@ GNU Distribution
* System Installation:: Installing the whole operating system.
* System Configuration:: Configuring the operating system.
* Documentation:: Browsing software user manuals.
* Installing Debugging Files:: Feeding the debugger.
* Security Updates:: Deploying security fixes quickly.
* Package Modules:: Packages from the programmer's viewpoint.
@ -6907,6 +6908,7 @@ For information on porting to other architectures or kernels,
@menu
* System Installation:: Installing the whole operating system.
* System Configuration:: Configuring the operating system.
* Documentation:: Browsing software user manuals.
* Installing Debugging Files:: Feeding the debugger.
* Security Updates:: Deploying security fixes quickly.
* Package Modules:: Packages from the programmer's viewpoint.
@ -15905,6 +15907,70 @@ This service represents PID@tie{}1.
@end defvr
@node Documentation
@section Documentation
@cindex documentation, searching for
@cindex searching for documentation
@cindex Info, documentation format
@cindex man pages
@cindex manual pages
In most cases packages installed with Guix come with documentation.
There are two main documentation formats: ``Info'', a browseable
hypertext format used for GNU software, and ``manual pages'' (or ``man
pages''), the linear documentation format traditionally found on Unix.
Info manuals are accessed with the @command{info} command or with Emacs,
and man pages are accessed using @command{man}.
You can look for documentation of software installed on your system by
keyword. For example, the following command searches for information
about ``TLS'' in Info manuals:
@example
$ info -k TLS
"(emacs)Network Security" -- STARTTLS
"(emacs)Network Security" -- TLS
"(gnutls)Core TLS API" -- gnutls_certificate_set_verify_flags
"(gnutls)Core TLS API" -- gnutls_certificate_set_verify_function
@dots{}
@end example
@noindent
The command below searches for the same keyword in man pages:
@example
$ man -k TLS
SSL (7) - OpenSSL SSL/TLS library
certtool (1) - GnuTLS certificate tool
@dots {}
@end example
These searches are purely local to your computer so you have the
guarantee that documentation you find corresponds to what you have
actually installed, you can access it off-line, and your privacy is
respected.
Once you have these results, you can view the relevant documentation by
running, say:
@example
$ info "(gnutls)Core TLS API"
@end example
@noindent
or:
@example
$ man certtool
@end example
Info manuals contain sections and indices as well as hyperlinks like
those found in Web pages. The @command{info} reader (@pxref{Top, Info
reader,, info-stnd, Stand-alone GNU Info}) and its Emacs counterpart
(@pxref{Misc Help,,, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}) provide intuitive key
bindings to navigate manuals. @xref{Getting Started,,, info, Info: An
Introduction}, for an introduction to Info navigation.
@node Installing Debugging Files
@section Installing Debugging Files