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What pinfo does
Pinfo presents Info documents in a text interface. Give it a page name to open that page; with no page argument, it opens the default directory page. If Info lookup fails, pinfo can invoke man and parse the result, making it useful for both kinds of documentation.
The Debian package description calls pinfo “a somewhat more user-friendly interface for reading info pages on the console,” specifically citing cursor-key navigation. That is Debian’s characterization, not a guarantee that every reader will prefer it to GNU Info.
Install and open an Info page
Package names and versions depend on your distribution and release. Debian’s trixie (stable) package listing consulted for this article reports pinfo version 0.6.13-2; that is a Debian package version, not a universal version number. Check your distribution’s repository for its current package and installation command.
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The documented form is:
pinfo [options] [infopage]For example, run pinfo bash to request the Bash Info page. Pinfo searches its configured Info locations. If you omit the page name, it opens the default directory page.
Choose how pinfo looks up a page
INFOPATHsets or extends the locations pinfo searches for Info pages. Its directory entries are separated by colons.-ror--raw-filename(also-for--file) tells pinfo to try the argument as a filename directly.-aor--aproposcallsaproposwhen no matching page is found.--nodestarts at a named node in an Info document.
Open a manual page explicitly
Use -m or --manual to start in manual-page mode. In this mode, the pinfo manual says following arguments are passed to man; do not treat them as ordinary pinfo options.
Navigate and configure pinfo
Pinfo’s manual documents keyboard bindings for searching, moving through pages and links, refreshing the screen, and quitting. Bindings can be configured, so the exact keys may depend on the system configuration rather than being identical on every installation.
For colors and behavior, pinfo reads a user configuration file, ~/.pinforc, and can also use a system-level pinforc. The manual’s sample configuration covers foreground and background colors, bold and blink attributes, and display elements such as menus, notes, top and bottom lines, manual-page emphasis, URLs, and Info highlights. It also demonstrates configurable key bindings. Consult the manual or the installed sample before editing: configuration details can vary with the installed version.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsPinfo vs. GNU Info
Both programs can read Info documentation, but the better fit depends on how you work. Pinfo emphasizes console browsing with cursor-key navigation and can also display manual pages in its interface. GNU Info has its own node navigation and includes documented options for tasks such as searching an index, outputting recursive node content, and writing output to a file.
| Need | Pinfo | GNU Info |
|---|---|---|
| Console navigation | Debian describes cursor-key navigation as more user-friendly; this is Debian’s characterization, and preferences differ. | Provides its own node-navigation interface. |
| Manual pages | Can invoke man when Info lookup fails; -m selects manual mode. |
Not established by the consulted GNU Info manual as a manual-page reader. |
| Color and key configuration | The pinfo manual documents configurable colors and key bindings through ~/.pinforc and a system-level configuration file. |
Not stated in the consulted GNU Info manual. |
| Additional documented options | Supports options including --node, --raw-filename, and --apropos. |
The consulted manual documents --index-search, --subnodes, and output to a file. |
Choose pinfo if you want a configurable terminal reader that brings Info pages and manual pages together. Choose GNU Info when its own navigation or options—such as index search or recursive node output—match your task. Pinfo should not be assumed to provide every GNU Info feature.
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Version and documentation context
The Debian trixie package page reports pinfo 0.6.13-2 and identifies Sven Geuer as the package maintainer. Package versions can change as distributions update their repositories.
The pinfo manual consulted here is dated 2001, so its configuration examples document the program’s interface but should not be mistaken for a newly rewritten guide. The project README describes historical maintenance: Przemek Borys maintained pinfo through version 0.6.8, development later moved to Bas Zoetekouw and Alioth, and the project moved to GitHub in 2014 starting with version 0.6.10. Those historical details do not establish the project’s current release activity.
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