Peter da Silva wrote:
>> But the larger point is that an exception occurs (-h is not recognized
>> as an option) which triggers an error message. Given the history of
>> -h, why should that error not be help itself, rather than metahelp?
>
> A larger point is that the error message should be helpful no matter WHAT
> the option is. What REALLY takes the cake is when "--help" isn't helpful.
>
> The other day I got something like this...
>
> % foo --help
> You idiot, you need to type "foo --help commands" or "foo --help syntax".
>
> Not literally, but that's the subtext.
HA! Do not try to protect the guilty. cvs, I hate thee.
$ cvs -h
cvs: invalid option -- h
Usage: cvs [cvs-options] command [command-options-and-arguments]
where cvs-options are -q, -n, etc.
(specify --help-options for a list of options)
where command is add, admin, etc.
(specify --help-commands for a list of commands
or --help-synonyms for a list of command synonyms)
where command-options-and-arguments depend on the specific command
(specify -H followed by a command name for command-specific help)
Specify --help to receive this message
The Concurrent Versions System (CVS) is a tool for version control.
For CVS updates and additional information, see
the CVS home page at http://www.cvshome.org/ or
Pascal Molli's CVS site at http://www.loria.fr/~molli/cvs-index.html
> HATE
>
>