Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site cyb-eng.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!cyb-eng!bc From: bc@cyb-eng.UUCP (Bill Crews) Newsgroups: net.sources.bugs Subject: Re: getopt(3) posting Message-ID: <765@cyb-eng.UUCP> Date: Sat, 26-Oct-85 00:05:59 EST Article-I.D.: cyb-eng.765 Posted: Sat Oct 26 00:05:59 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 27-Oct-85 07:32:15 EST References: <910@utcs.uucp> <306@graffiti.UUCP> <444@seismo.CSS.GOV> <324@graffiti.UUCP> Organization: Cyb Systems, Austin, TX Lines: 32 > > Getopt is a good idea, folks. > > -- it provides consistent syntax error messages > > -- most programmers don't handle bizarre flag/argument combinations; > > getopt takes care of that problem. > > -- simplifies the effort of writing a command interface to the > > copying of a while loop from your last program and editing > > a couple of lines. > > Well, the program I provided does all these things too, and allows you > to handle multiple sets of options, variant option flags, and so on. > > > Keith Bostic > > Peter da Silva If you can get your getopt replacement approved by the ANSI Unix standards committee, fine. If it becomes popular and widely offered and used, fine. Otherwise, all you are doing is providing yet another clever program whose user interface is different from others in a fundamental way. Any standard function by definition limits one, but the existence of a standard has value too, which must be weighed against the value of the proliferation of cleverness. I am not studied enough to have an opinion as to whether getopt is currently comprehensive or flexible enough. If it can be made more flexible without leaving a user who hasn't used a given command before totally in the dark as to how it might work, then let's do it, but let's do it soon and then batten down the hatches, so we can have some consistency. And more than anything else, PLEASE support whatever standard the committee adopts by USING whatever form of getopt is blessed! -- - bc - ..!{seismo,topaz,gatech,nbires,ihnp4}!ut-sally!cyb-eng!bc (512) 835-2266