Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!iuvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!ccvaxa!aglew From: aglew@ccvaxa.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: Command interfaces Message-ID: <57900005@ccvaxa> Date: 14 Dec 87 00:24:00 GMT References: <432@cresswell.quintus.UUCP> Lines: 16 Nf-ID: #R:cresswell.quintus.UUCP:432:ccvaxa:57900005:000:759 Nf-From: ccvaxa.UUCP!aglew Dec 13 18:24:00 1987 ..> Henry Spencer on getopt(): >Why don't people use getopt >more? Because the interface to getopt is a little complicated and it is >hard to get it right when you are typing a program in from scratch. (For >some discussion about why this is the wrong way to program, and how to >avoid it, come to the Dallas Usenix and listen to my talk!) Another reason not to use getopt: because it requires information to be put in two places. You have to have a string containing your option letters, and a case for the actual option. Bad design. Still, many thanks to Henry for the PD version. Actually, I'm a little relieved to hear Henry say that getopt is not used as often as it should be. I don't particularly like getopt, but feel guilty when I don't use it.