Long options are very nice to use in scripts as they are somewhat self-documenting. Compare: curl -kLIiso example.org www.example.org versus: curl -

Long options are very nice to use in scripts as they are somewhat self-documenting. Compare: curl -kLIiso example.org www.example.org versus: curl --insecure --location --head --include --silent --output example.org www.example.rog And of course as a practical matter, with short opts you'll run out of characters eventually, and meaningful mnemonics before that.