Re: [pgsql-pkg-debian] Re: BUG #14299: initdb and man pages are not installed in the alternatives system

Re: Karl O. Pinc 2016-08-30 <20160830080047.2a89b286@slate.meme.com>
> > I am not aware that we have man pages for SQL commands. You are
> > welcome to send patches
> > via https://redmine.postgresql.org/projects/pgrpms/issues .
>
> RH/Centos generates man7 pages of SQL commands using help2man.
> See line 86 of the centos spec file:
>
https://git.centos.org/blob/rpms!rh-postgresql95/36d55031946317af5a4f56f69d807ed907eb520c/SPECS!rh-postgresql95.spec;jsessionid=vgg48opqwpk36x9pnf4k2j2z
>
> Apologies for not sending a patch.
>
> Debian also generates man pages for all the SQL commands.
> These seem to be the psql \h output, although I've not
> looked to see how it's done.

The SQL manpages are built as part of the stock documentation build.
"make -C doc man" and friends. They have much more content than "psql
\h".

> Because RH has `alternatives` perhaps the thing to do is to talk
> to the debian packagers and adopt a consistent cross-distro policy.
> I've never had any trouble with multiple PG versions on debian; I've
> never had to think about it.  So they must be doing something right.

postgresql-common is also using update-alternatives to manage symlinks
to manpages (though less so for binaries). I believe what we do
differently is to use the "slave links" mechanism to manage a
gazillion of symlinks through one master, while the yum packaging uses
individual links.

> I have cc-ed the debian pg packagers.  Perhaps they can describe
> their magic formula.

https://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/pkg-postgresql/postgresql-common.git/

There's even a .spec file in there if you want to try it on RH :)

Christoph