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I find it helpful. If it's a program that generally supports single dash options only, having it respond to --help will falsely make me believe that it's one th
by scbrg 2y ago
I find it helpful. If it's a program that generally supports single dash options only, having it respond to --help will falsely make me believe that it's one that expects double dash options.
Letting me know that the proper way to ask for help is `-help` also communicates that GNU style double dash long opts is not the way to go with this particular program.
Then I suppose you could argue that GNU style double dash options should be supported. Meh, I dunno. They were the ones that invented the fifteenth standard (xkcd/927).
- exmadscientist 2y agoI mean, it's perfectly fine if the way `--help` communicates that you shouldn't be using double-dash options is by... giving the help text that has all single dash options. That seems like pretty solid communication? I don't care at all which type the program likes. I just can't remember which programs like which styles. So I ask them. And I prefer if they don't insult me when I do.
- scbrg 2y agoHeh. Fair enough :-) I just don't really see how that one, single, extra three second step is much to get upset about, and I think it's just welcome that it rubs me in the face that I got it wrong. It makes me not gloss over the help text and start double dashing my way into the next to command. But sure, I see your point. I just wished K&R had had the forethought to establish a proper standard. I don't particularly care what it would have been.
- scbrg 2y agoAnd... before anybody points it out: When I wrote K&R, I obviously had a brain fart. I was thinking about Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, but the acronym is of course normally used to refer to Brian Kernighan and Dennis. Sorry for any confusion :)