From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: =?utf-8?Q?Ludovic_Court=C3=A8s?= <ludo@gnu.org>
Subject: Re: guix package: Rename "generation" options
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2019 11:59:23 +0100
Message-ID: <87tv72ojjo.fsf@gnu.org>
References: <80a7f0b8-9fb0-239d-bc61-d99209e95cb3@crazy-compilers.com>
 <20191112085843.h5gzy34ompkf7mto@rafflesia>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Return-path: <guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org>
Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:470:142:3::10]:37904)
 by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.90_1)
 (envelope-from <ludo@gnu.org>) id 1iWIHA-0006oj-GB
 for guix-devel@gnu.org; Sun, 17 Nov 2019 05:59:29 -0500
In-Reply-To: <20191112085843.h5gzy34ompkf7mto@rafflesia> (Tanguy Le Carrour's
 message of "Tue, 12 Nov 2019 09:58:43 +0100")
List-Id: "Development of GNU Guix and the GNU System distribution."
 <guix-devel.gnu.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/options/guix-devel>,
 <mailto:guix-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel>
List-Post: <mailto:guix-devel@gnu.org>
List-Help: <mailto:guix-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/guix-devel>,
 <mailto:guix-devel-request@gnu.org?subject=subscribe>
Errors-To: guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org
Sender: "Guix-devel" <guix-devel-bounces+gcggd-guix-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org>
To: Tanguy Le Carrour <tanguy@bioneland.org>
Cc: guix-devel <guix-devel@gnu.org>

Hello!

Tanguy Le Carrour <tanguy@bioneland.org> skribis:

> Le 11/08, Hartmut Goebel a =C3=A9crit :
>> i often stumble about generation related short-options being mixed lower
>> and upper-case:
>>=20
>> =C2=A0 -l, --list-generations[=3DPATTERN]
>> =C2=A0 -d, --delete-generations[=3DPATTERN]
>> =C2=A0 -S, --switch-generation=3DPATTERN
>>=20
>> I would prefer to have them consistent, so they are easier to remember.

I think changing that would be extremely hard if you take all the
constraints into account, including consistency: =E2=80=98-L=E2=80=99 has t=
o be
=E2=80=98--load-path=E2=80=99 for consistency with all the software out the=
re that uses
=E2=80=98-L=E2=80=99 with this meaning.  Plus, I don=E2=80=99t think lower-=
case vs. upper-case
matters that much.

> Speaking of consistency, I've been wondering for months why `guix system`
> and `guix package` do not work the same way!? One uses positional
> arguments, the other options!
>
> ```
> $ guix package --list-generations[=3DPATTERN]
> $ guix package --delete-generations[=3DPATTERN]
> $ guix package --switch-generation=3DPATTERN
> ```
>
> *vs*
>
> ```
> $ guix system list-generations [PATTERN]
> $ guix system delete-generations [PATTERN]
> $ guix system switch-generation PATTERN
> ```
>
> Is this on purpose?!

Well, yes and no.  :-)

=E2=80=98guix system=E2=80=99 arrived several years after =E2=80=98guix pac=
kage=E2=80=99 and it was
designed from the start to have =E2=80=98guix system ACTION=E2=80=99, becau=
se it made a
lot of sense in that context.  Conversely, =E2=80=98guix package=E2=80=99 w=
as never
meant to have sub-actions, and I agree with zimoun that it would be
inconvenient if we had to type (say) =E2=80=98guix package install foo=E2=
=80=99.

That said, I agree that the inconsistency is troubling.  Would it be
better to have =E2=80=98guix list-generations=E2=80=99, etc.?  Or maybe tha=
t =E2=80=98guix
profile=E2=80=99 command that has been proposed before?

Food for thought!

Ludo=E2=80=99.