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diff --git a/README.txt b/README.txt
index f7360b5..1a40d96 100644
--- a/README.txt
+++ b/README.txt
@@ -11,7 +11,14 @@ since the pre 2.9 and the 2.9 and later versions are completely different
internally.
===============================================================================
-Help inxi development! Submit a user debugger dataset.
+DEVELOPMENT AND ISSUES
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Make inxi better! Expand supported hardware and OS data, fix broken items!
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+HELP PROJECT DEVELOPMENT! SUBMIT A DEBUGGER DATASET
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is easy to do, and only takes a few seconds. These datasets really help
the project add and debug features. You will generally also be asked to provide
@@ -32,11 +39,12 @@ You can run these as regular user, or root/sudo, which will gather a bit more
data, like from dmidecode, and other tools that need superuser permissions
to run.
-ARM and BSD datasets are particularly appreciated because we simply do not
-have enough of those.
+ARM (plus MIPS, SPARC, PowerPC) and BSD datasets are particularly appreciated
+because we simply do not have enough of those.
-===============================================================================
-Make inxi better! Expand supported hardware and OS data, fix broken items!
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+FILE AN ISSUE IF YOU FIND SOMETHING MISSING, BROKEN, OR FOR AN ENHANCEMENT
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
inxi strives to support the widest range of operating systems and hardware,
from the most simple consumer desktops, to the most advanced professional
@@ -46,12 +54,43 @@ The issues you post help maintain or expand that support, and are always
appreciated since user data and feedback is what keeps inxi working and
supporting the latest (or not so latest) hardware and operating systems.
-See the BSD section below for qualifications re BSDs, and OSX in particular.
+See INXI VERSION/SUPPORT/ISSUES/BUGS INFORMATION for more about issues/support.
+
+See BSD/UNIX below for qualifications re BSDs, and OSX in particular.
===============================================================================
-BRANCHES
+SOURCE VERSION CONTROL
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+https://github.com/smxi/inxi
+MAIN BRANCH: master
+DEVELOPMENT BRANCHES: inxi-perl, one, two
+inxi-perl is the dev branch, the others are rarely if ever used. inxi itself
+has the built in feature to be able to update itself from anywhere, including
+these branches, which is very useful for development and debugging on various
+user systems.
+
+PULL REQUESTS: Please talk to me before starting to work on patches of any
+reasonable complexity. inxi is hard to work on, and you have to understand how
+it works before submitting patches, unless it's a trivial bug fix. Please:
+NEVER even think about looking at or using previous inxi commits, previous to
+the current master version, as a base for a patch. If you do, your patch / pull
+request will probably be rejected. Developers, get your version from the
+inxi-perl branch, pinxi, otherwise you may not be current to actual development
+versions. inxi-perl pinxi is always equal to or ahead of master branch inxi.
+
+Man page updates, doc page updates, etc, of course, are easy and will probably
+be accepted, as long as they are properly formatted and logically coherent.
+
+When under active development, inxi releases early, and releases often.
+
+PACKAGERS: inxi has one and only one 'release', and that is the current
+commit/version in the master branch (plus pinxi inxi-perl branch, of course,
+but those should never be packaged).
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+MASTER BRANCH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-MASTER BRANCH:
This is the only supported branch, and the current latest commit/version is
the only supported 'release'. There are no 'releases' of inxi beyond the
@@ -70,8 +109,14 @@ NOTE: Just because github calls tagged commits 'Releases' does not mean they
are releases! I can't change the words on the tag page. They are tagged
commmits, period. A tag is a pointer to a commit, and has no further meaning.
+If your distribution has blocked -U self updater and you want a newer version:
+
+Open /etc/inxi.conf and change false to true: B_ALLOW_UPDATE=true
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+DEVELOPMENT BRANCH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-DEVELOPMENT BRANCH:
+
All active development is now done on the inxi-perl branch (pinxi):
git clone https://github.com/smxi/inxi --branch inxi-perl --single-branch
@@ -90,7 +135,9 @@ It's a good idea to check with pinxi if you want to make sure your issue has
not been corrected, since pinxi is always equal to or ahead of inxi.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-LEGACY BRANCH:
+LEGACY BRANCH
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
If you'd like to look at or check out the Gawk/Bash version of inxi, you can
find it here, at the inxi-legacy branch (binxi):
@@ -107,14 +154,19 @@ spent on it in the future, but it is there in case it's of use or interest to
anyone.
===============================================================================
-SUPPORT INFO:
+SUPPORT INFO
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do not ask for basic help that reading the inxi -h / --help menus, or man page
would show you, and do not ask for features to be added that inxi already has.
Also do not ask for support if your distro won't update its inxi version, some
are bad about that.
-DOCUMENTATION: https://smxi.org/docs/inxi.htm
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+DOCUMENTATION
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+https://smxi.org/docs/inxi.htm
(smxi.org/docs/ is easier to remember, and is one click away from inxi.htm).
The one page wiki on github is only a pointer to the real resources.
@@ -125,52 +177,54 @@ information about Perl version support, including the list of Core modules that
_should_ be included in a distribution's core modules, but which are
unfortunately sometimes removed.
+INXI CONFIGURATION: https://smxi.org/docs/inxi-configuration.htm
HTML MAN PAGE: https://smxi.org/docs/inxi-man.htm
INXI OPTIONS PAGE: http://smxi.org/docs/inxi-options.htm
-NOTE: These may not always be up to date, but generally track the most recent
-inxi commits.
-ISSUES: https://github.com/smxi/inxi/issues
+NOTE: Check the inxi version number on each doc page to see which version
+will support the options listed. The man and options page also link to a
+legacy version, pre 2.9.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+IRC
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+You can go to: irc.oftc.net channel #smxi
+but be prepared to wait around for a while to get a response. Generally it's
+better to use github issues.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ISSUES
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+https://github.com/smxi/inxi/issues
No issues accepted for non current inxi versions. See below for more on that.
Unfortunately as of 2.9, no support or issues can be accepted for older inxi's
because inxi 2.9 (Perl) and newer is a full rewrite, and legacy inxi is not
being supported since our time here on earth is finite (plus of course, one
reason for the rewrite was to never have to work with Gawk->Bash again!).
-SUPPORT FORUMS: https://techpatterns.com/forums/forum-33.html
-This is the best place to place support issues that may be complicated.
-
-If you are developer, use:
-DEVELOPER FORUMS: https://techpatterns.com/forums/forum-32.html
-
-SOURCE VERSION CONTROL: https://github.com/smxi/inxi
-MAIN BRANCH: master
-DEVELOPMENT BRANCHES: inxi-perl, one, two
-inxi-perl is the dev branch, the others are rarely if ever used. inxi itself
-has the built in feature to be able to update itself from anywhere, including
-these branches, which is very useful for development and debugging on various
-user systems.
+Sys Admin type inxi users always get the first level of support. ie, convince
+us you run real systems and networks, and your issue shoots to the top of the
+line. As do any real bugs.
-PULL REQUESTS: Please talk to me before starting to work on patches of any
-reasonable complexity. inxi is hard to work on, and you have to understand how
-it works before submitting patches, unless it's a trivial bug fix. Please:
-NEVER even think about looking at or using previous inxi commits, previous to
-the current master version, as a base for a patch. If you do, your patch / pull
-request will probably be rejected. Developers, get your version from the
-inxi-perl branch, pinxi, otherwise you may not be current to actual development
-versions. inxi-perl pinxi is always equal to or ahead of master branch inxi.
+Failure to supply requested debugger data will lead To a distinct lack of
+interest on our part to help you with a bug. ie, saying, oh, it doesn't work,
+doesn't cut it, unless it's obvious why.
-Man page updates, doc page updates, etc, of course, are easy and will probably
-be accepted, as long as they are properly formatted and logically coherent.
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+SUPPORT FORUMS
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-When under active development, inxi releases early, and releases often.
+https://techpatterns.com/forums/forum-33.html
+This is the best place to place support issues that may be complicated.
-PACKAGERS: inxi has one and only one 'release', and that is the current
-commit/version in the master branch (plus pinxi inxi-perl branch, of course,
-but those should never be packaged).
+If you are developer, use:
+DEVELOPER FORUMS: https://techpatterns.com/forums/forum-32.html
===============================================================================
-ABOUT INXI - CORE COMMITMENT TO LONG TERM STABILITY
+ABOUT INXI
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
inxi is a command line system information tool. It was forked from the ancient
and mindbendingly perverse yet ingenius infobash, by locsmif.
@@ -193,15 +247,15 @@ If you are piping output to paste or post (or writing to file), inxi now
automatically turns off color codes, so the old suggestion to use -c 0 to turn
off colors is no longer required.
-inxi should always show you your current system state, as far as possible, and
-should be more reliable than your own beliefs about what is in your system,
-ideally. In other words, the goal in inxi is to have it be right more than it
-is wrong about any system that it runs on. And not to rely on non current
-system state data if at all possible. Some things, like memory/ram data, rely
-on radically unreliable system self reporting based on OEM filling out data
-correctly, which doesn't often happen, so in those cases, you want to confirm
-things like ram capacity with a reputable hardware source, like crucial.com,
-which has the best ram hardware tool I know of.
+inxi strives to be as accurate as possible, but some things, like memory/ram
+data, depend on radically unreliable system self reporting based on OEM
+filling out data correctly, which doesn't often happen, so in those cases,
+you want to confirm things like ram capacity with a reputable hardware source,
+like crucial.com, which has the best ram hardware tool I know of.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+COMMITMENT TO LONG TERM STABILITY
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The core mission of inxi is to always work on all systems all the time. Well,
all systems with the core tools inxi requires to operate installed. Ie, not
@@ -216,60 +270,9 @@ inxi is being written, and tested, on Perl as old as 5.08, and will work on any
system that runs Perl 5.08 or later. Pre 2.9.0 Gawk/Bash inxi will also run on
any system no matter how old, within reason, so there should be no difference.
-===============================================================================
-BSD SUPPORT
-
-Real BSDs:
-BSD support is not as complete as GNU/Linux support due to the fact some of the
-data simply is not available, or is structured in a way that makes it unique to
-each BSD. This fragmentation makes supporting BSDs far more difficult than it
-should be in the 21st century. The BSD support in inxi is an ongoing process,
-with more features being added as new data sources and types are discovered.
-
-All BSD issue reports unless trivial and obvious will require 1 of two things:
-
-1. a full --debug 21 data dump so I don't have to spend days trying to get the
-information I need to resolve the issue file by painful file from the issue
-poster. This is only the start of the process, and realistically requires 2. to
-complete it.
-
-2. direct SSH access to at least a comparable live BSD version/system, that is,
-if the issue is on a laptop, access has to be granted to the laptop, or a
-similar one.
-
-Option 2 is far preferred because in terms of my finite time on this planet of
-ours, the fact is, if I don't have direct (or SSH) access, I can't get much
-done, and the little I can get done will take 10 to 1000x longer than it
-should. That's my time spent (and sadly, with BSDs, largely lost), not yours.
-
-I decided I have to adopt this much more strict policy with BSDs after wasting
-untold hours on trying to get good BSD support, only to see that support break
-a few years down the road as the data inxi relied in changed structure or
-syntax, or the tools changed, or whatever else makes the BSDs such a challenge
-to support. In the end, I realized, the only BSDs that are well supported are
-ones that I have had direct access to for debugging and testing.
-
-I will always accept patches that are well done, if they do not break
-GNU/Linux, and extend BSD support, or add new BSD features, and follow the
-internal inxi logic, and aren't too long. inxi sets initial internal flags to
-identify that it is a BSD system vs a GNU/Linux system, and preloads some data
-structures for BSD use, so make sure you understand what inxi is doing before
-you get into it.
-
-OSX:
-Do not insult real BSDs by calling OSX a BSD. OSX is the least Unix-like
-operating system I've ever seen that claims to be a Unix, its tools are
-mutated, its data randomly and non-standardly organized, and it totally fails
-to respect the 'spirit' of Unix, even though it might pass some random tests
-that certify a system as a 'Unix'.
-
-If you want me to use my time on OSX features or issues, you have to pay me,
-because Apple is all about money, not freedom (that's what the 'free' in 'free
-software' is referring to, not cost), and I'm not donating my finite time in
-support of non-free operating systems.
-
-===============================================================================
-INXI FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
inxi's functionality continues to grow over time, but it's also important to
understand that each core new feature usually requires about 30 days work to
@@ -282,8 +285,9 @@ get somewhat reliable for about 98% or so of inxi users. So if your patch is
rejected, it's likely because you have not thought it through adequately, have
not done adequate testing cross system and platform, etc.
-===============================================================================
-INXI VERSION/SUPPORT/ISSUES/BUGS INFORMATION:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+SUPPORTED VERSIONS / DISTRO VERSIONS
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Important: the only version of inxi that is supported is the latest current
master branch version/commit. No issue reports or bug reports will be accepted
@@ -293,12 +297,6 @@ to the latest inxi, do not file a bug report since it's probably been fixed
ages ago. If your distro isn't packaging a current inxi, then file a bug report
with your packager, not here.
-Sys Admin type inxi users always get the first level of support. ie, convince
-us you run real systems and networks, and your issue shoots to the top of the
-line. As do any real bugs. Failure to supply requested debugger data will lead
-to a distinct lack of interest on our part to help you with a bug. ie, saying,
-oh, it doesn't work, doesn't cut it, unless it's obvious why.
-
inxi is 'rolling release' software, just like Debian Sid, Gentoo, or Arch Linux
are rolling release GNU/Linux distributions, with no 'release points'.
@@ -320,9 +318,9 @@ update inxi in a package pool of any distro in the world (with one single known
exception, the Slackware based Puppy Linux release, which ships without the
full Perl language. The Debian based one works fine).
-===============================================================================
-
-INXI VERSION NUMBERING:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+SEMANTIC VERSION NUMBERING
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
inxi uses 'semantic' version numbering, where the version numbers actually mean
something.
@@ -372,4 +370,68 @@ do not expect for example version 4.0 to ever happen after 3.0 (early 2018),
unless so many new features are added that it actually hits 3.9, then it would
roll over to 4.
+===============================================================================
+BSD / UNIX
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+BSD support is not as complete as GNU/Linux support due to the fact some of the
+data simply is not available, or is structured in a way that makes it unique to
+each BSD. This fragmentation makes supporting BSDs far more difficult than it
+should be in the 21st century. The BSD support in inxi is an ongoing process,
+with more features being added as new data sources and types are discovered.
+
+Note that due to time/practicality constraints, in general, only the original
+BSD branches will be actively supported: FreeBSD+derived; OpenBSD+derived;
+NetBSD+derived. Other UNIX variants will generally only get the work required
+to make internal BSD flags get set and to remove visible output errors.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+TRUE BSDs
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+All BSD issue reports unless trivial and obvious will require 1 of two things:
+
+1. a full --debug 21 data dump so I don't have to spend days trying to get the
+information I need to resolve the issue file by painful file from the issue
+poster. This is only the start of the process, and realistically requires 2. to
+complete it.
+
+2. direct SSH access to at least a comparable live BSD version/system, that is,
+if the issue is on a laptop, access has to be granted to the laptop, or a
+similar one.
+
+Option 2 is far preferred because in terms of my finite time on this planet of
+ours, the fact is, if I don't have direct (or SSH) access, I can't get much
+done, and the little I can get done will take 10 to 1000x longer than it
+should. That's my time spent (and sadly, with BSDs, largely lost), not yours.
+
+I decided I have to adopt this much more strict policy with BSDs after wasting
+untold hours on trying to get good BSD support, only to see that support break
+a few years down the road as the data inxi relied in changed structure or
+syntax, or the tools changed, or whatever else makes the BSDs such a challenge
+to support. In the end, I realized, the only BSDs that are well supported are
+ones that I have had direct access to for debugging and testing.
+
+I will always accept patches that are well done, if they do not break
+GNU/Linux, and extend BSD support, or add new BSD features, and follow the
+internal inxi logic, and aren't too long. inxi sets initial internal flags to
+identify that it is a BSD system vs a GNU/Linux system, and preloads some data
+structures for BSD use, so make sure you understand what inxi is doing before
+you get into it.
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+APPLE CORPORATION OSX
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+Non-free/libre OSX is in my view a BSD in name only. It is the least Unix-like
+operating system I've ever seen that claims to be a Unix, its tools are
+mutated, its data randomly and non-standardly organized, and it totally fails
+to respect the 'spirit' of Unix, even though it might pass some random tests
+that certify a system as a 'Unix'.
+
+If you want me to use my time on OSX features or issues, you have to pay me,
+because Apple is all about money, not freedom (that's what the 'free' in 'free
+software' is referring to, not cost), and I'm not donating my finite time in
+support of non-free operating systems.
+
### EOF ###