Re: lynx-dev OK "lynx -v"; ERROR: "lynx -v > foo.out"; WHY?

[Ian Collier]

On Thu, Sep 05, 2002 at 11:58:42AM +0200, Ulf H{rnhammar wrote:
> -v is a common option for showing the version.

Not really.  If anything I'd say it more commonly means "verbose".

[After I wrote that, I decided to try some random commands, as follows.]

awk -v         awk: option requires an argument -- v
bunzip2 -v     bunzip2: I won't read compressed data from a terminal.
cvs -v         (displays version)
diff -v        (displays version)
emacs -v       Unknown option `-v'
ftp -v         (starts ftp in verbose mode)
gs -v          (displays version)
host -v        (displays usage, same as if no arguments)
info -v        info: invalid option -- v
jpegtopnm -v   (starts jpegtopnm in verbose mode)
kmail -v       (displays version)
ls -v          (lists files)
make -v        (displays version)
nmap -v        (starts nmap in verbose mode)
od -v          (starts od (does not suppress duplicates))
python -v      (starts python in verbose mode)
quota -v       (displays quota in verbose mode)
rpm -v         Usage: rpm {--help} \n rpm {--version}
ssh -v         (displays usage, same as if no arguments)
test -v        (returns true)
unzip -v       (displays version)
vi -v          (starts vi)
wget -v        wget: missing URL
xv -v          (displays usage, same as with any other unrecognised flag)
yacc -v        (displays usage, same as if no arguments)
zcat -v        zcat: compressed data not read from a terminal.

imc

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