this feels like a silly thing to say but even though i’ve been using linux since 2004 I feel like i’m learning recently that the impact of the GNU project’s software (and its design decisions) on me is even bigger than I thought

like even just the fact that (afaik) many of them used Emacs has an impact on me today

(please no “it’s GNU/Linux”)

for example I thought the “vim vs emacs” flamewars were silly (who cares? use what you want!)

but actually I feel like some of the GNU software design decisions are really influenced by emacs (readline, info pages) and that does actually have an effect

(please don’t tell me that readline has a vi mode)

(2/?)

also this guidance on command line arguments is great, I didn’t realize these things came from the GNU project and I really appreciate them https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Command_002dLine-Interfaces.html#Command_002dLine-Interfaces

(via @zwol)

(3/?)

Command-Line Interfaces (GNU Coding Standards)

Command-Line Interfaces (GNU Coding Standards)

@b0rk have you seen CLI Guidelines before? It was a more recent effort (maybe 2022?) to reexamine guidelines and norms from a modern perspective. Seems very related/relevant to what you’ve been doing.

https://clig.dev/

Command Line Interface Guidelines

An open-source guide to help you write better command-line programs, taking traditional UNIX principles and updating them for the modern day.