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While reading about Linux, I got the following about man (manual) pages:

The man pages are the most often-used source of Linux documentation. They provide in-depth documentation about many programs and utilities as well as other topics, including configuration files, system calls, library routines, and the kernel.

I am new to this flavor, so can someone explain me the specific jargons like:

  • configuration files (why and how are they used)
  • system calls (I guess it is related to the system calls invoked while executing these commands - correct me if I am wrong)
  • what are library routines associated with any command?
  • and how kernel information is related to any command?

I tried some of these commands as

man more

but again its too long and difficult for me to totally get it: is there any easy reference for beginners like me?

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Linux distributions and their programs come with lots of documentation. Some are in HTML format, others in simple text files, most install so-called man pages.

Man pages, long manual pages, can be seen as chapters of a reference manual.

  • configuration files (why and how are they used)

    Config files configure the initial settings for programs, lots are in /etc

  • system calls (I guess it is related to the system calls invoked while executing these commands - correct me if I am wrong)

    A system call is how a program requests a service from the kernel

  • what are library routines associated with any command?

    Those are routines that the specified command uses from certain libraries.

  • and how kernel information is related to any command?

    ... now it gets tough, as you really need to know about operating systems and their inner workings in depth.

I tried some of these commands as man more, but again its too long and difficult for me to totally get it: is there any easy reference for beginners like me?

Conclusion

Think of it this way: You want to know how to use the command more. You can now either go to the library and get a book about the usage of this command. Or you can type man more and the contents of the book are displayed on your screen.

If you're new to computing or Linux, then the book / manpage will contain lots of jargon you don't understand, but that's inherent to learning something new.

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  • thanx @Jan, can you tell me which type of software -installation needs to deal with .config files,,I mean not all packages require this,which can directly be installed through repositories,
    – lazarus
    Sep 5, 2014 at 14:18
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    @jazzz It is not clear what you are asking. Please ask a new question about config files.
    – user68186
    Sep 5, 2014 at 14:34

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