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Re: Usability question

From
Matthieu Moy <matthieu.moy@grenoble-inp.fr>
Date
Sep 17, 2009, 10:41 UTC
Message-ID
<vpqy6odhn0d.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>
In-Reply-To
<513ca40e0909170301s2b09184akb27acde76975c09b@mail.gmail.com>
Rob Barrett <barrettboy@gmail.com> writes:
> My questions:
> 1. What is the distinction that makes the 10% special enough to get
> non-prefixed options?

Prefixed and non-prefixed is what people usually call respectively "options" and "subcommands". To me, the distinction is needed:

Options are flags that modify the behavior of a git command. For example, "git reset" and "git reset --hard" do something similar, but "git svn rebase" and "git svn dcommit" do something really, totally different. It's not about doing the same thing in a different way, it's really about different actions.

Subcommands are closer to commands than they are to options. The reason to group several subcommands into one command is mostly to reduce the number of commands, but for example, it could have been decided to replace "git svn dcommit" by "git svn-dcommit" (but then "git help" would have been really really scarry).

> 2. Is it worthwhile? Wouldn't it be better if to shoot for more
> consistency / less complexity?

Well, if you want to get rid of subcommands, why not get rid of commands, too?

git --commit git --status git --svn --rebase

I find the distinction between commands, subcommands and options really helpfull.

-- 
Matthieu Moy
http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/
Previous: Rob BarrettNext: SZEDER Gábor
Message 2 of 8 in “Usability question”
  1. Rob BarrettSep 17, 2009
  2. Matthieu MoySep 17, 2009
  3. SZEDER GáborSep 17, 2009
  4. Matthieu MoySep 17, 2009
  5. Daniele SegatoSep 17, 2009
  6. Rob BarrettSep 20, 2009
  7. Dmitry PotapovSep 20, 2009
  8. Owen TaylorSep 17, 2009

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