I forgot to note why GROFF_NO_SGR needs to be set when starting xman on :

During compiling, xman.c checks which OS it's being compiled on & hardwires `nroff -mandoc` as its page formatting aid if it detects the BSDs. However, nroff's mandoc macros output ANSI escape codes, while xman expects typewriter-style "back up & overstrike" codes.

That is, unless GROFF_NO_SGR is set. The only places I found it documented were on the Internet (for Linux-specific xman weirdness) and in the grotty(1) manpage.

@mpts Awesome! Thank you!

Related, xman relies on the MANPATH variable being set, but fresh installs don't set it (relying on /usr/bin/manpath as well instead). I recommend adding to the wiki page what I put in my ~/bin/xman script:

if [ -z "$MANPATH" ]; then export MANPATH=`manpath`; fi

Sign in to participate in the conversation
Computer Fairies

Computer Fairies is a Mastodon instance that aims to be as queer, friendly and furry as possible. We welcome all kinds of computer fairies!