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Linux Knowledge Base

The Linux Knowledge-Base provides quick-start guides for working with terminal programs.

Setup

Install make, recutils, and any fuzzy-finder (i.e. sk, fzy, or fzf).

Usage

make
make database

recsel db.rec -q database
recsel db.rec -q gpg
recsel db.rec -e "title = 'ssh'"
recsel db.rec -e "title ~ 'ssh'"
recsel db.rec -e "title ~ 'bash'" -R title,wordcount

Style

No History, No Context

• Nobody cares about how the project started.
• Nobody wants to read what ffmpeg is, because anyone who wants to use it already knows what it is.

Be Opinionated

• Guides should not ask the reader to select options half-way through.
• Options for different filesystems, databases, et c., should be written as separate guides.

Repetition Beats Reference

If a database requires three commands to set up, it's better to repeat those three commands for every program that requires a database than to just link to another file which discusses databases.

Show Arguments as Variables

Look at this line:

grep ls --color=always  $HISTFILE | less -R

What else can go in place of always? Can you say --color=red? Can you put anything? The answer is not obvious.

What about this line:

git branch new
git checkout new

Do you always use new? Can you use another word here? The answer is not obvious.

It's better to make all arbitrary values variables.

git branch $branch_name
git checkout $branch_name
PAGER='less -R'
grep ls --color=always $HISTFILE | $PAGER

Now we can see what can be changed.

What's Wrong with Everything Else?

Man pages

• Orders items by the alphabet rather than by relevance.
• Often presumes you know everything except that one program.
• Often written in the 80's, and it shows.
• Zero respect for your time.
• Often references info pages (yuck).

curl cheat.sh

• Doesn't have the programs I like.
• Too short to get you started on many programs.
• Poor understanding of priority (git stash is covered before git commit).
• Repetitive

Current State

This started as a few personal notes, and will probably continue to look like that for some time. It's a bit of a mess.

Systemd is taken as a default. Non-systemd commands are mentioned when required for a distro, e.g. runit for Void Linux.