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H.Merijn Brand skribis 2006-05-25 21:43 (+0200): > > juerd@nano:~$ perl -? > > Unrecognized switch: -? (-h will show valid options). > > juerd@nano:~$ vi -? > > VIM - Vi IMproved 6.4 (2005 Oct 15, compiled Apr 28 2006 01:45:37) > > Unknown option: "-?" > > More info with: "vim -h" > > juerd@nano:~$ python -? > > Unknown option: -? > > usage: python [option] ... [-c cmd | -m mod | file | -] [arg] ... > > Try `python -h' for more information. > > juerd@nano:~$ ruby -? > > ruby: invalid option -? (-h will show valid options) > All GNU, as Philip said. GNU Perl? GNU VIM? GNU Python? GNU Ruby? > Look, here is a genuine old awk and sed :) > d3:/usr/bin 113 > awk -? > Usage: awk [-F fs][-v Assignment][-f Progfile|Program][Assignment|File] ... > d3:/usr/bin 114 > sed -? > Usage: sed [-n] [-e script] [-f source_file] [file...] Interesting that they don't list -? in the usage information. What do these awk and sed do if you run awk -@ sed -@ If they then too give usage info, -? isn't a feature, but a useful side effect. > d3:/usr/bin 133 > metamail -? How about metamail -@ > d3:/usr/bin 134 > elmalias -? elmalias -@ > d3:/usr/bin 142 > rup -? > Usage: rup [-h] [-l] [-t] [host ...] rup -@ > d3:/usr/bin 147 > jobs -? > Usage: jobs [ -l ]. jobs -@ > No, I didn't, but I proposed a change to perl a very long time ago, and I > still don't understand why it was turned down. I do, especially after reading this thread. > > So that's about 60 programs that do support -?, against over 1200 that > > do not. Sanity wins! > Again, you're in a GNU environment. OpenBSD 3.2, not quite a GNU environment: $ ls -? ls: illegal option -- ? usage: ls [-1ACFLRSTWacdfiklmnopqrstux] [file ...] $ grep -? grep: invalid option -- ? Usage: grep [OPTION]... PATTERN [FILE]... Try `grep --help' for more information. $ mv -? mv: illegal option -- ? usage: mv [-fi] source target mv [-fi] source ... directory $ vi -? vi: illegal option -- ? usage: ex [-eFRrSsv] [-c command] [-t tag] [-w size] [file ...] usage: vi [-eFlRrSv] [-c command] [-t tag] [-w size] [file ...] $ mkdir -? mkdir: illegal option -- ? usage: mkdir [-p] [-m mode] dirname ... Blaming GNU is too easy. > Now, come up with a good reason why -? should not map to --help Oh, I'm not arguing that -? shouldn't be supported. I am arguing that expecting that it is supported, is rather silly. I am also warning that using -? may be unsafe, and that -h or --help is more likely to work anyway. Supporting -? and documenting it is bad, though, because of aforementioned security risks and because people might come to expect -? to work from other applications. > -? as an alias for --help makes sense. I ask for help: just give it. I'll give you help info, but only because you're feeding me something I don't understand. Not because I think "?" looks like "help". It looks more like "huh?", but that isn't something I'd shout when drowning. Juerd -- http://convolution.nl/maak_juerd_blij.html http://convolution.nl/make_juerd_happy.html http://convolution.nl/gajigu_juerd_n.htmlThere's stuff above here
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