> The first thing I find when I google a command are examples, usually covering exactly what I need. I see a lot of people reflexively reaching for Google or S

> The first thing I find when I google a command are examples, usually covering exactly what I need. I see a lot of people reflexively reaching for Google or Stackoverflow when working with a command (or even a programming language) that they aren't familiar with. Often it will get the job done, but I feel it only provides a shallow understanding of what the tools can do. Do you similarly search for examples when trying to use an API in your language of choice, or do you consult the reference documentation? Take, for example, fio(1), a tool for running I/O benchmarks. It probably has over 100 options. It is insanely flexible. You might not even consider using it if you didn't know what it was capable of. You can either sift through dozens of mailing list conversations and stackoverflow threads to find the perfect benchmark, or you can browse the man page that explains all the options. I guess what I'm saying is that one is not a replacement for another. If you're skipping the man page, you're losing something. Whether or not you'll miss it is another question.