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From: garry@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Garry Wiegand)
Newsgroups: net.decus,net.unix
Subject: Re: Favorite operating systems query (UNIX vs VMS flaming!!!)
Message-ID: <602@batcomputer.TN.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: Thu, 10-Jul-86 22:06:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.602
Posted: Thu Jul 10 22:06:19 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jul-86 04:37:53 EDT
Reply-To: garry%cadif-oak@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu
Organization: Cornell Engineering && Flying Moose Graphics
Lines: 28
Xref: watmath net.decus:397 net.unix:8582

In a recent article levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) wrote:
>Hardly pointing out the specific problem!  Better something like this (under
>System V):
>
>$ who -bogus
>who:  illegal option -- o
>Usage:	who [-rbtpludAasHTq] [am i] [utmp_like_file]
>
>r	run level
>b	boot time
>t	time changes
>...

My goodness! I never *ever* saw a Unix program actually use English words and 
list out the options! What won't they think of next!!!! (As for me, I've always 
rather enjoyed those clever little "Usage: oink  -azmnblooglefungaaa" lines.)

More seriously, there pros and cons to this approach - if I just fumble-fingered,
and the program has a gazillion options, I DON'T want to wait while they all
scroll by.

PS - On my system (4.3 BSD), typing "who -bogus" yields:

	who: cannot open utmp

This excellent message is *much more* in the tradition of the Unix.
-- 
garry wiegand   (garry%cadif-oak@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu)