Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`nroff(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, nroff is the illumos nroff at /usr/bin/nroff, a text formatter for typewriter-like devices that defaults to -T37 (Teletype Model 37). The bundle has no Linux nroff text and no BSD pages, so the differences below describe Solnix only; the comparison itself could not be made from the bundle.

The manual pages

Solnix: nroff(1) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
Linux: nroff(1) groff-1.24.2

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos nroff at /usr/bin/nroff. No other variants are shipped. The page points to troff(1) for the typesetter-oriented formatter. Its macro packages are looked up under /usr/share/lib/tmac.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	no Linux text to compare	The Linux nroff(1) section of the bundle holds no manual text, and the extracted Linux option list is empty. The manual text provided does not say how Linux nroff options, defaults or output differ from Solnix. Source: Bundle header (linux nroff option flags empty); LINUX section of the bundle
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	no BSD counterpart pages	The bundle lists no FreeBSD, OpenBSD or NetBSD nroff page, so nothing in it supports a comparison with the BSDs. Source: Bundle header (COUNTERPART lists only linux)
all four	default output device	Solnix nroff `-Tname` lists device names such as 37, lp, tn300, 300, 450 and 832. The default is 37, a Teletype Model 37 terminal. For a plain line printer or terminal without half-line capability, use `-Tlp` or `-Ttn300`. Source: Solnix nroff(1) -Tname
all four	`-m` macro lookup path	Solnix `-mname` prepends the file `/usr/share/lib/tmac/name` to the input files. The page gives no other search path. A Linux or BSD macro package may live elsewhere; the bundle does not say. Source: Solnix nroff(1) -mname
all four	`-s` page pausing	Solnix `-sN` makes nroff halt before every N pages (default N=1) so paper can be loaded, and it resumes when it receives a newline. Scripts that pipe output must not pass `-s`, or they may wait for input. Source: Solnix nroff(1) -sN
all four	option order	Solnix options must appear before the file names. The page says they can appear in any order among themselves, but not after the files. A lone dash as a file name means standard input. Source: Solnix nroff(1) OPTIONS, DESCRIPTION
all four	yr register	On Solnix, the numeric register yr is the number of years since 1900, not the last two digits of the year. Older documentation said otherwise. The NOTES section gives a yy string definition that yields two digits through 2099. Source: Solnix nroff(1) NOTES
all four	`-i` and `-q`	Solnix `-i` reads standard input after the input files are exhausted. `-q` suppresses output that was read from an .rd request. The Solnix page documents both flags. Source: Solnix nroff(1) -i, -q

Standards

POSIX: nroff is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Solnix: ATTRIBUTES: CSI is Enabled. The page gives no Interface Stability entry.

Writing portable scripts

Pass -T explicitly (for example -Tlp) instead of relying on the default; the Solnix default is the Teletype Model 37 device (37).
Put all options before the file names, and do not pass -s in unattended pipelines, because it makes the Solnix nroff pause for a newline.

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.