How to get regular stuff working: Difference between revisions

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== Man pages ==


Not all man-pages are in Alpine, but this will get you most of the way there:
== Basic commands and shell hints ==


    '''apk add mandoc man-pages mandoc-apropos less less-doc'''
Alpine comes with busybox by default. And busybox is set up as an endpoint for numerous symlinks that substitute various utilities. Though busybox is not that bad, the busybox replacement commands may still be missing some functionality.
    '''export PAGER=less'''


The above only provides ''core'' man pages. Other packages typically don't include their own man pages (nor other documentation). Rather, they provide an associated package that carries such stuff. For example:
To replace the symlinks to busybox, install...


    $ '''apk add curl'''
* Shell utilities (things like grep, [[awk]], ls are all busybox symlinks)
    $ '''man curl'''
  apk add util-linux pciutils usbutils coreutils binutils findutils grep
    man: No entry for curl in the manual.
    $ '''apropos curl | wc -l'''
    0    <span style="color: green;">''After adding curl, there are no man pages''</span>
    $ '''apk add curl-doc'''
    (1/1) Installing curl-doc (7.52.1-r2)
    Executing mandoc-apropos-1.13.3-r6.trigger
    OK: 60 MiB in 31 packages
    $ '''apropos curl | wc -l'''
    366  <span style="color: green;">''Now, with curl-doc installed, there's a boatload of pages!''</span>


'''NOTE:''' Not all packages separate out their documentation, but it is the ''Alpine Way'' (e.g. small footprint). Some packages don't provide any installable documentation at all, neither within themselves nor an associated doc packages. Further, appending "-doc" is merely a convention. In fact, the core man documentations are in man-pages (as in the ''apk add ...'' command, above). To find the right documentation package, try something like:
* Bash
 
It's also easy enough to have bash itself installed:  
    $ '''apk search gcc | grep ^gcc'''
  apk add bash bash-doc bash-completion
    gcc-objc-5.3.0-r0
and to possibly change the login shell with '''chsh'''.
    gcc-gnat-5.3.0-r0
    gcc-5.3.0-r0
    gcc-java-5.3.0-r0
    gcc-doc-5.3.0-r0    <span style="color: green;">''Here it is!''</span>
 
'''FINALLY:''' If you're wondering why I've added ''less'' (and ''less-doc''), it's because ''man'' doesn't work correctly with ''more'' (the default pager). Don't fret too much about bloating up Alpine, though - adding man pages has a bigger footprint than less (''"less is more than man"???'')
 
If you would like documentation packages to be pulled in automatically you can add the  <code>docs</code> meta package.
 
== Operational hints ==
 
==== Shell @ commandline ====
 
Alpine comes with busybox by default.  Busybox is an endpoint for numerous symlinks for various utilities. Though busybox is not that bad, the commands are impaired in functionality.


* Funny characters at the console
* Funny characters at the console
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   unicode="YES"
   unicode="YES"


* Bash
It is easy enough to have bash installed, but this does not mean the symlinks to busybox are gone.
Install bash with: 
  apk add bash bash-doc bash-completion
* Shell utilities (things like grep, [[awk]], ls are all busybox symlinks)
  apk add util-linux pciutils usbutils coreutils binutils findutils grep


* /etc/{shadow,group} manipulation requires
  apk add shadow


==== Disk Management ====  
== Disk Management ==


Disk management is so much easier with udisks or udisks2
Managing (removable) disk is much easier with udisks or udisks2


Installation     
Installation     
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   apk add udisks2 udisks2-doc
   apk add udisks2 udisks2-doc


See the mounted disks
To see the mounted disks


   udisksctl status
   udisksctl status

Revision as of 16:34, 19 May 2021

Basic commands and shell hints

Alpine comes with busybox by default. And busybox is set up as an endpoint for numerous symlinks that substitute various utilities. Though busybox is not that bad, the busybox replacement commands may still be missing some functionality.

To replace the symlinks to busybox, install...

  • Shell utilities (things like grep, awk, ls are all busybox symlinks)
  apk add util-linux pciutils usbutils coreutils binutils findutils grep
  • Bash

It's also easy enough to have bash itself installed:

  apk add bash bash-doc bash-completion

and to possibly change the login shell with chsh.

  • Funny characters at the console

Edit the file at /etc/rc.conf and change line 92 to:

 unicode="YES"


Disk Management

Managing (removable) disk is much easier with udisks or udisks2

Installation

  apk add udisks2 udisks2-doc

To see the mounted disks

  udisksctl status

Compiling : a few notes and a reminder

Compiling in Alpine may be more challenging because it uses musl-libc instead of glibc. Please review 'The functional differences with glibc' if you think of porting packages or just for the sake of knowing, of course.

Alpine offers the regular compiler stuff like gcc and cmake ... possible others

(unvalidated) apk packages to install so one can start building software

  apk add build-base gcc abuild binutils binutils-doc gcc-doc

a complete install for cmake looks like

  apk add cmake cmake-doc extra-cmake-modules extra-cmake-modules-doc

ccache is also available

  apk add ccache ccache-doc