Ok so I thought since they called it help it would be like info on how to use bc. But there they say prints usage info and that is what you get. So why didn't they call it -u??
Help is only help if it helps.
It does.
As a unix-user I neither don't know no "info", nor "-u"
"u" for what?
For "unless it's something completey different", "unix is not Linux", or "uh, I don't understand"?
What I do know is what all unix users know, what's written within the "where to get help"-section of any halfway usable introduction into unix:
Almost every CLI/shell-command provides two things:
man bc
bc -h
"h" is short for and mostly reserved for "
help"
whereas additionally -help or --help may also be available.
Sometimes you have to try one or the other, but if the according piece of software is not a piece of junk but truely unix(like), at least one of those is
always available.
On my installation all three work: bc -h, bc -help, bc --help
and they all do what 'help' does:
give a (brief, short) help;
an overview what version, what this piece of software is, and the most common options - mostly ment simply as an reminder for people who already know this software but just forgotten its usage or one of the main options.
And if help is done properly - and here bc's help is exemplary - it also contains a link to where to look for more detailed information, if help is not sufficient: its handbook, in english also known as the manual, short "man" (shell- aka unix-users like texts to be brief and short.)
Many help-texts spare themselves to mention there is a manpage, because
man ...
is what every unix-user (should) know if grappled with unix longer than 10 minutes.
bc doesn't.
Quote from bc's help:
bc 6.2.4
Copyright (c) 2018-2023 Gavin D. Howard and contributors
Report bugs at: https://git.gavinhoward.com/gavin/bc
This is free software with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
usage: bc [options] [file...]
bc is a command-line, arbitrary-precision calculator with a Turing-complete
language.For details, use `man bc` or see the online documentation at
https://git.gavinhoward.com/gavin/bc/src/tag/6.2.4/manuals/bc/A.1.md.
[...]
Of course, one needs to read until
"
For details, use `man bc` or..."
So, if you open the man page of bc by
man bc
it provides you with what according to
man man
a manpage provides:
"display online manual documentation pages"
THE complete reference documentation on all unix(like) since 1969 (I may be wrong about the exact date; the first manpages may occured in the seventies, but that is not my point here.)
Manpages are the only way I can think of to have a complete but usable documentation of a still developed operating system that contains several thousands of things (A book would be extremely large - and outdated before it be even finished printing.)
Okay, there is one downside:
One needs not only to be capable of reading but also actually do the reading.
And most of them won't come with any pictures, videos or comic strips, but short and brief text, only.
But therefor it's
all in there.
Most manpages also keep it brief and short; sometimes maybe a bit too short
(I 'love' those entries:
"-u option to activate u" (Really? I didn't thought about that. WTF DOES 'U' DO?!?!")
So you may look for something having more explaining text, like a How-To,
or, if you have too much time, a video listening to the text somebody else reads for you, which is way slower than reading yourself (if not, you do have a handicap about reading, which in almost all cases can be solved by reading.)
Anyway,
EVERYTHING you'll ever need (on a true unix[like] os) is somewhere written in some manpage.
Unless the according software is a useless piece of junk. Because that's exactly what it is if it lacks a sufficient, complete, correct and up-to-date man page: useless. It cannot be used, because without a proper documentation nobody except the programmer her- or himself knows how to. (That's something that in certain sloppy conspiracy circles is still rejected to be accepted, or not understood, while at the same time those don't understand why their magnificent piece of brilliant software made by genies is not the widely used standard, but more and more rejected aka dying.)
Many manpages contain something like:
"Any inconsistency in this manpage is considered a bug - please report!"
Very true.
Tipps:
Learn how to read manpages.
If you open one the first time, don't read it all,
but at least skim once through it to the end.
Especially the bottom sections often contain very useful informations,
not only examples of usage but furthermore links to other manpages/pieces of software, which might be what you're actually looking for, and if not enlarge your knowledge anyway.
You may also use the webpage of manpages:
FreeBSD man pages
or there are also some how-tos for how-to make the display of your man pages be colorful, less boring, more clearly structured - I just forgotten, how I do it, but it's no rocketscience to figure it out.
Another (very) good source also comes with your installation on your machine:
file:///usr/local/share/doc/
I have it set as a link in my browser.
It's a good idea simply to skim through it, take a closer peek to something interesting, or even read the one or the other piece of text, you'll find in there.
It's a goldmine!
In the end, unix(like) is much about learning how to help yourself.
Everybody in this forum is very willing to help.
But if someone seem to not have done even the slightest attempt of trying by her-/himself one risks to get answers like this one, or some others I read here.
Don't be discouraged!
This is also part of the learning process to get into unix.
Short:
read
RTFM!