JDK-6508646 : Java man pages not integrated
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Component: docs
  • Sub-Component: tools
  • Affected Version: solaris
  • Priority: P3
  • Status: Closed
  • Resolution: Duplicate
  • OS: solaris
  • CPU: x86
  • Submitted: 2006-12-30
  • Updated: 2010-05-05
  • Resolved: 2007-10-16
Related Reports
Duplicate :  
Description
After installing the Solaris Developer Express, "man java" returns "No manual entry for java." (or any other JDK commands).
What "more information" could you possibly need?  In a release where Java is supposed to be fully integrated, a default user (no environment changes) who types "man java" gets a "No manual entry for java" message.  The manual pages *are* installed, but in /usr/java/man which is not part of the default MANPATH environment variable.  They are fine where they are, but the default MANPATH needs to then be modified.  

FYI, this problem also exists for /usr/ccs/man, and several other non-standard packages.  And no (anticipating the next response), this should not be the responsibility of the user, since "integration" must include documentation integration as documentation is an essential ease-of-use feature.  Documentation which cannot be easily discovered by a new user is worse than useless, since it slows down the installation and takes up disk space without providing any real benefit.

This was filed with the installer because the company was asked to test an ease-of-use release candidate and file bugs with the installer.  It is not obvious which category integration issues should be placed.  I don't agree that this is the Java tools group responsibility, unless Solaris has an installation mechanism for updating the default MANPATH which the Java tools group is not using.
Joann-- how should this work? if the installer is used to install the jdk, how should 
the user get pointed to documentation regarding setting the manpath?

our installation file should cover this
The intallation scripts can't modify MANPATH as part of the installation
process, because MANPATH is a per user environment variable and the
installation is a per platform process.

The way to fix this is to have the installation process create symbolic
links through /usr/java (on Solaris) from /usr/man.  There is already a
bug on this which is taking some time to address because of competing
implementations on Linux.  Anyway, find that bug (somewhere under java/install
I think) and you can close this as a duplicate.
I believe this is a duplicate of the java/java/install bug
6406136

so we are closing this

Comments
EVALUATION Sigh,... This is not a bug. This is the way it was intended to be. Note the precedent set by openwin/cde/gnome, which have their own man directories. Would you expect to find Oracle man pages on the default MANPATH? What about Sun Studio? Java SE is an interesting case because it is both a system component and an unbunded product. I'm changing this to an RFE, because the original intent should be reexamined. Soon, it will be closed as a dup, because this isn't the first suggestion of this.
11-01-2007

SUGGESTED FIX Either "/usr/java/man" should get added to the default MANPATH, or something similar to how the man pages for Sun Studio's commands (such as CC) should be done.
30-12-2006