Re: cli options

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004, Dexter Filmore wrote:

> -O param, -Oparam, -O=param, -O='param', -option param, --option=param,
> --option=param enable etc etc

-<single character> options are historic UNIX options provided for backward
compatibility with existing scripts and sysadmins(!) --<option> is GNU style
and friendlier for new users, IMHO. The others are a side-effect of the
double-edged sword that is UNIX command line processing. There are libraries
(e.g. <ftp://nis-ftp.lanl.gov/pub/users/jt/Software/opt>) intended to help
developers parse command line arguments in a consistent manner, but a)
sometimes the licenses get in the way - 'opt' is GPLv2, not LGPL, b)
lanaguage bindings might not be available and c) sometimes the effort is of
learning such a library is too much for a developer who (initially, at
least) is only writing a quick hack.

> even worse, all happily mixed up like in cdrecord ( -v and -eject, but
> speed=xx and fs=xx)

At least cdrecord acknowledges it as a bug. ;-)

> Great.

Best Regards,
Alex.
-- 
Alex Butcher      Brainbench MVP for Internet Security: www.brainbench.com
Bristol, UK                      Need reliable and secure network systems?
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