Silly newbie question - Caret character (^)

[Emile van Sebille]

On 11/7/2010 2:26 AM Lawrence D'Oliveiro said...
> In message<pan.2010.11.06.23.19.11.0 at nowhere.com>, Nobody wrote:
>
>> A reference manual tells you how to use the language. A specification
>> tells you how to implement it.
>
> Speaking as someone who has read more reference
> manuals/specifications/whatever you want to call them than I can count, I
> have never come across any such distinction.

Surely you see the difference between RFC5321 and for example Courier's 
man pages?  One's the specification and the other's the reference manual.

Emile