"Learn what the number inside something like ls(1) or perror(3) means." you got ... | Hacker News

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ilcavero on March 24, 2011 | parent | context | favorite | on: Time-saving tips for Linux

"Learn what the number inside something like ls(1) or perror(3) means." you got me there, I don't know what it means and now I'm curious and can't find it on google

ominous_prime on March 24, 2011 | [–]

They're the man page sections. When something appears in more than one category, you need to specify the section in the `man` command.

  $ man 1 ls
  $ man 3 perror
  $ man 1 printf
  $ man 3 printf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_page

ilcavero on March 24, 2011 | | [–]

Thanks, quite frustrating not having any keyword that allows you to google something

more info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_page

pieceofpeace on March 24, 2011 | [–]

You can also do this:

  $ man man

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