From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: emacs -Q not documented Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2005 07:17:21 +0900 Message-ID: References: <20050329.162832.71106586.wl@gnu.org> <20050402.084718.31638992.wl@gnu.org> <16974.31697.605551.695664@farnswood.snap.net.nz> Reply-To: snogglethorpe@gmail.com, miles@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1112480498 1150 80.91.229.2 (2 Apr 2005 22:21:38 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2005 22:21:38 +0000 (UTC) Cc: rms@gnu.org, emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun Apr 03 00:21:34 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DHqzS-0001lG-W4 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sun, 03 Apr 2005 00:21:15 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DHr11-0002Y4-9w for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:22:51 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DHr0Q-00026e-AA for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:22:14 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DHr0M-00023U-5U for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:22:11 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DHr0K-0001yO-KL for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:22:08 -0500 Original-Received: from [64.233.184.192] (helo=wproxy.gmail.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1DHqvw-0000c0-Km for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 17:17:37 -0500 Original-Received: by wproxy.gmail.com with SMTP id 40so675639wri for ; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 14:17:21 -0800 (PST) DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=beta; d=gmail.com; h=received:message-id:date:from:reply-to:to:subject:cc:in-reply-to:mime-version:content-type:content-transfer-encoding:references; b=jV2/w+mQfUrtW5cmCRLpuxwBC5lIgSeVKacMXb88QubX7IXCnEBdxpIVMjGITt2M+D/1hphLT4ANizMNzY23DogE8da1WDZX4B9bb/dQYbR7RZmXsB9z2PUHpQPVuTlS2I9CcsgkdIXc923LZD+LhiCNLNJd97WfAZ5JKbeCJH4= Original-Received: by 10.54.20.26 with SMTP id 26mr677183wrt; Sat, 02 Apr 2005 14:17:21 -0800 (PST) Original-Received: by 10.54.19.32 with HTTP; Sat, 2 Apr 2005 14:17:21 -0800 (PST) Original-To: Nick Roberts In-Reply-To: <16974.31697.605551.695664@farnswood.snap.net.nz> X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:35512 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:35512 On Apr 2, 2005 8:02 PM, Nick Roberts wrote: > I don't think these are explanatory. > > If we can't think of a suitable name why should we add one? Well obviously if we can't think of a good name, we shouldn't add a bad one :-), but long option names, if well-chosen, are often _much_ easier to remember if you only use the option very occasionally... So it's worth at least a bit of effort to come up with one. I think it needn't be _completely_ self-explanatory, as long as it's easy to remember, and "makes sense" after reading the options documentation or --help output. Something like `--vanilla' is probably not going to indicate to a completely naive user what's going on, but it's almost certainly meaningful enough[*] to jog the memory of someone who has read the documentation in the past (whereas -Q is more iffy). How about `--default-settings' (which could be abbreviated `--default'; perhaps it ought to also accept the plural of that, `--defaults', without actually putting it in the option help)? [*] For a native english speaker -- this is the big problem with `--vanilla' I think. -Miles -- Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.