intro(1) on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs
intro(1) on Solnix is the illumos page for manual section 1. It is not a program. Unlike the short BSD overviews and the Linux beginner tutorial, it spends most of its text on command-line syntax rules, including the CLIP guidelines, which are meant to bring illumos option syntax closer to GNU style.
The manual pages
What Solnix runs
The page ships in pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man and comes from illumos. No other variants are shipped. There is no intro executable. The flags the header lists (--longopt2, --longopt3, -f and others) come from the page's example syntax line and are not real options.
Differences
| Compared with | Topic | What differs |
|---|---|---|
| all four | what the page is for | Solnix intro(1) is a reference for section 1 subsections and the option-syntax conventions. Linux intro(1) is a tutorial on login, the shell, paths and basic commands. The three BSD pages are short overviews of section 1. Source: Solnix intro(1) DESCRIPTION, Manual Page Command Syntax; Linux intro(1) NOTES; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD intro(1) DESCRIPTION |
| all four | section 1 subsections | Solnix splits section 1 into 1B (SunOS/BSD Compatibility Package only), 1C (communicating with other systems) and 1S (SunOS-specific). The counterpart pages in the bundle name no section 1 subsections. Source: Solnix intro(1) DESCRIPTION (1B, 1C, 1S); Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD intro(1) DESCRIPTION |
| all four | option syntax guidelines | Solnix intro(1) lists numbered syntax guidelines. Options are one character, can be grouped after one dash, and must precede operands. A bare -- ends options. A lone - means standard input. The counterpart pages state no such rules. Source: Solnix intro(1) Command Syntax Standard: Guidelines 3-13; Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD intro(1) |
| Linux | CLIP and GNU-style long options | Solnix describes CLIP, an extension that allows --long-options, including --longopt=arg, to bring syntax closer to GNU on Linux. It says CLIP omits GNU constructs that conflict with the IEEE rules or are ambiguous. It is not applied to all utilities. Linux intro(1) says nothing about option syntax.Source: Solnix intro(1) Command Syntax Standard: Guidelines (CLIP paragraphs); Linux intro(1) NOTES |
| all four | getopts recommended | Solnix intro(1) says shell procedures should use getopts(1) to parse options, and that it covers Guidelines 3-10. The counterpart pages do not mention getopts. Source: Solnix intro(1) Command Syntax Standard: Guidelines; Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD intro(1) |
| FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD | exit status documentation | FreeBSD says 0 means success and >0 means error, and some commands use sysexits(3) codes. OpenBSD and NetBSD say 0 means success and each manual explains its own values. The Solnix text in the bundle does not say. Source: FreeBSD intro(1) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD intro(1) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD intro(1) DESCRIPTION; Solnix intro(1) (no exit status text in the bundle) |
| all four | numeric arguments | Solnix says a numeric operand or option-argument is read as a decimal integer. It says 0 to 2147483647 are recognized, and -2147483647 to 2147483647 where negatives are accepted. Larger ranges are allowed. The counterpart pages do not state this.Source: Solnix intro(1) Manual Page Command Syntax (numeric value bullets); Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD intro(1) |
| FreeBSD | installing more software | FreeBSD intro(1) points to pkg(8) and the ports(7) collection for additional commands. The Solnix page in the bundle does not describe how to install software. Source: FreeBSD intro(1) DESCRIPTION; Solnix intro(1) |
| all four | command naming guidelines | Solnix says command names should be two to nine characters of lower-case letters and digits. It adds that not all current commands follow these guidelines. The counterpart pages give no naming rules. Source: Solnix intro(1) Guidelines 1-2 and the paragraph before them; Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD intro(1) |
Standards
- POSIX: intro is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
- Solnix: CLIP is described as a superset of guidelines closely aligned with IEEE Std. 1003.1-2001 (SUSv3). The manual does not say whether all utilities follow it.
- Linux: The bundle's Linux intro(1) text states no standard.
- FreeBSD: The bundle's FreeBSD intro(1) text states no standard.
- OpenBSD: The bundle's OpenBSD intro(1) text states no standard.
- NetBSD: The bundle's NetBSD intro(1) text states no standard.
Writing portable scripts
- In scripts, test only for exit status 0 versus non-zero. FreeBSD documents 0 and >0, and the OpenBSD and NetBSD pages leave other values to each command's manual.
- Put all options before operands, group single-letter flags, use -- to end options, and parse them with getopts. Solnix lists these rules as guidelines, and not every command follows them.
Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.