Re: Git branch outputs usage message on stderr

From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk <kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com>
Date: Jan 15, 2025, 17:39 UTC
Message-ID: <0cf0b268-c691-4fed-a58b-ea9f77eab295@app.fastmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqq34hkyoys.fsf@gitster.g>

On Wed, Jan 15, 2025, at 18:19, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 6 quoted lines

> "Kristoffer Haugsbakk" <kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com> writes:
>> [snip]
>
> Being consistent is a good idea, and I wanted to first gauge which
> way we should unify.  It seems that those who spit their help text
> into their standard error stream are indeed in minority?

Yes: 40 of those stderr `-h` outputs.

Versus 102 that use stdout.[1]

Trying a random command with usage-on-error:

    $ git-upload-pack >/dev/null
    usage: [snip]

Does give usage on stderr.

† 1:
    git add
    git annotate
    git apply
    git archive
    git bisect
    git blame
    git bugreport
    git bundle
    git cat-file
    git check-attr
    git check-ignore
    git check-mailmap
    git checkout
    git cherry
    git cherry-pick
    git clean
    git clone
    git column
    git commit-graph
    git config
    git count-objects
    git credential-cache
    git credential-cache--daemon
    git credential-store
    git describe
    git diagnose
    git difftool
    git fast-export
    git fetch
    git fmt-merge-msg
    git for-each-ref
    git for-each-repo
    git format-patch
    git fsck
    git fsck
    git grep
    git hash-object
    git help
    git hook
    git init
    git init
    git interpret-trailers
    git log
    git ls-remote
    git ls-tree
    git mailinfo
    git maintenance
    git merge-base
    git merge-file
    git merge-tree
    git mktag
    git mktree
    git multi-pack-index
    git mv
    git name-rev
    git notes
    git pack-objects
    git pack-refs
    git patch-id
    git blame
    git prune
    git prune-packed
    git pull
    git push
    git range-diff
    git read-tree
    git receive-pack
    git reflog
    git refs
    git remote
    git repack
    git replace
    git replay
    git rerere
    git reset
    git restore
    git revert
    git rm
    git send-pack
    git shortlog
    git log
    git show-branch
    git show-index
    git show-ref
    git sparse-checkout
    git add
    git stash
    git stripspace
    git submodule--helper
    git switch
    git symbolic-ref
    git tag
    git update-ref
    git update-server-info
    git-upload-pack
    git verify-commit
    git verify-pack
    git verify-tag
    git version
    git log
    git worktree
    git write-tree