Jim Wowchuk wrote:
>
> At 07:33 PM 15/3/95 GMT, Steve Elmer wrote:
> >I don't see any reason why the shell's man utility isn't being considered a
> >help engine.  The contents of the help pages are up to the producer, but the
> >tool itself seems to work well.  In addition, I believe that customers can
> >add man pages to their own system.
>
> A "help engine"????  The fact the source is formatted before being presented
> does not a help engine make (IMHO).  Other than that, what does it do?  It
> takes a couple of keywords and searches a set of directories to find the
> first file which qualifies.  Maybe a crude "search engine", but I don't
> think it qualifies as a help engine.  For one thing, it doesn't help much.
>
> A help engine should *help*.  By my measure that means it should offer
> multiple search criteria, multiple contexts and at the least a directed
> graph it can follow.  Any links between help topics are provided only if you
> have a pen and paper on hand.  The MPE Help facility barely makes it there.
> The Windows WINHELP is much better.  httpd (WWW Server) is probably the
                                       ##################
> better still (though not integrated with many programs).  But man()????
>
 
        Hey, that's just the thing we are doing with our TIGERS -project
        (Telecommunication Integrated GEographical Resourse System)
        [ not an official name ! yet ] running on an HP9000, Oracle
        and a Motif GIS package called GRADIS-GIS.
 
        However, our mainstream/core business applications are based
        on Powerhouse on the HP3000.  The interesting question is:
        now that httpd runs on the Hp3000 - is there a client prog
        (lynx ?) that runs on the same platform AND supports HP
        terminal interface ?????
 
 
> Surely you jest! :)
> ----
> Jim Wowchuk                    Internet:    [log in to unmask]
> Vanguard Computer Services     Compu$erve:  100036,106
>  _--_|\                        Post:        PO Box 18, North Ryde, NSW 2113
> /      \                       Phone:       +61 (2) 888-9688
> \.--.__/ <---Sydney NSW        Fax:         +61 (2) 888-3056
>       v      Australia
>
 
 
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