[MPlayer-dev-eng] [PATCH] standard gnu "obligatory" arguments

[The Wanderer]

D Richard Felker III wrote:

> On Fri, Oct 29, 2004 at 07:00:57PM +0200, Diego Biurrun wrote:
> 
>> Carl Fûrstenberg writes:
>> 
>>> this tiny patch first adds support for the --version argument,
>>> and also on both --version and --help stops the program after
>>> text is shown, as written at
>>> http://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Command_002dLine-Interfaces.html#Command_002dLine-Interfaces

>> Did you test your patch?
>> 
>> silver:/usr/src/mplayer/dev$ ./mplayer --version

>> You added '--' but no filenames presented!
> 
> :))
> 
> imo this functionality is not needed. mplayer does not use gnu
> options to begin with, so why should it be "gnu compliant"?

Snap answer: interface consistency. It makes a certain amount of sense
to argue that for functionality which should be present in Every Single
Significant Program In Existence, the interface should be compatible, so
that J. Random Never-Heard-Of-It User doesn't have to try to figure out
exactly what the invocation is to get *this* particular program to do
some standard thing.

Nothing says that GNU's standard has to be the one used, but it does
have the prime qualification which such a thing needs, that being that
it is widespread.

(Or, for a less already-analyzed lead-in to the same possible argument,
"why not?".)

> -version would make sense tho...

On this, agreed.

-- 
       The Wanderer

Warning: Simply because I argue an issue does not mean I agree with any
side of it.

A government exists to serve its citizens, not to control them.