>I'll try some analysis (Don Cragun may correct me): >The "interface stabilty" is defined as "Standard", e.g. /usr/bin/printf >should be "standards conforming". Since >http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/printf.html does >not list any exception in argument handling for the "printf" utilty the >normal rules for argument parsing apply (see >http://www.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/009695399/utilities/xcu_chap01.html) >- which require that "printf" just be able to handle options and treat >arguments which start with a '-' character as options (if they are >before an argument with the value "--").
No, that's not what the standard says; it says that programs not expecting options should deal with receiving a "--" first argument (portable invocation); NOT that they should treat arguments starting with a "-" as an option. Casper
