Re: [Fwd: cat: invalid option -- h]

[J. Grant]

Hi,

On 17/09/05 20:01, Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
>    We'll all have to remember to use --help long option if -h is not going 
>    to be consistent then. 
>
> Your argument really doesn't make any sense.  -h is used for other
> things than getting a usage message in GNU tools, making -h a alias
> for --help in some GNU tools would only lead to utter confusion.
> Right now all you have to remeber is `--help', where as with your
> proposal you'll have to remeber that objcopy's -h produces a usage
> message, df outputs things in a human readable format, string outputs
> a usage message, tar dereferences symbolic links, etc etc etc.
>
> Sorry, but --help is consistent, -h is not.  -? is infact more common
> than -h since argp uses this as a alias for --help.

My point is for consistency, it is unclear what the strategy is with -h 
in GNU tools, perhaps only a partial idea to use -h for help in some tools.

-h has ended up being used for other purposes than help in GNU tools.
The fact remains that -h is often used for help in GNU tools, but not in
all cases.  So I think GNU tools should be consistant, be that in having
a -h option for help, or not using -h option for help in some GNU tools.

If the strategy is actually to only have --help, perhaps GNU should
define that somehwere, as obviously at present many GNU tools are
supporting the -h option for help.

I don't mind either way, but things should be consitent which ever way
it is.

Kind regards
JG