On Wed, 2 May 2001, Guy Harris wrote:
> > I find this approach illogical; -vvv means ultra _v_erbose.  -nn should
> > mean zero _n_o translation :-).  That's the way it was in Alexey's tcpdump
> > patches too, btw.
> >
> > Yeah, that could break some scripts.
>
> As did, I suspect, some of Alexey's patches; I know somebody filed a bug
> against Red Hat 6.1-or-later tcpdump because it no longer defaulted to
> promiscuous mode, so those patches certainly broke some habits, and may
> well have broken scripts.

True.  But the problem with Alexeys patch was, there was _zero_
documentation.  People surely started to wonder when man page told promisc
was the default, but in reality...

If there is proper documentation, one can say "It reads there, under -p".
:-)

> > My personal opinion is that you can't stop the development; if a script
> > does that and you update tcpdump, you should fix the script.  If we want
> > to remove some redundant command-line switches (there are a few; I've sent
> > a mail about some of them in Jan/Feb) we should be able to do it with a
> > clear conscience.  Just mention it in ChangeLog or the like, and the hands
> > are IMO clean.
>
> I tend to agree with Bill on this point - the "you" who would fix the
> script probably isn't the "you" who checkes into the tcpdump CVS tree
> the change, and
[snip reasoning]

Ok.

Would you be willing to change these "public interfaces" for some major
release?

For example, there are toggles like -a (silly?) and -u (integrate in
-vv or -n the like?) that probably could be removed.

As for -u.. it isn't on the man page.  There are a few other small issues,
including ordering.  Please see the patch:

Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 22:26:43 +0200 (EET)
From: Pekka Savola <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [tcpdump-workers] patch: fix usage/man page

This has a small piece or redundant, since integrated stuff describing
'any'.

-- 
Pekka Savola                 "Tell me of difficulties surmounted,
Netcore Oy                   not those you stumble over and fall"
Systems. Networks. Security.  -- Robert Jordan: A Crown of Swords



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