Syntax should be clean, neat, and simple

submitted by RedViking from self.programming

Cumbersome syntax:

zip compress filename

zip decompress filename

zip help

zip config

Clean and neat syntax:

zip - filename

zip + filename

zip ?

zip ~

The second way is cleaner, neater, simpler.

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[–]fschmidt 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Of course the exact opposite is true.

[–]IkeConn 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Command switches are there so IT people make a shitload more money than other office workers. If you think this is cumbersome try UNIX at the command line.

[–]IMissPorn 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Many real command-line tools offer a compromise, allowing either -c or --compress for example. I don't think I've ever encountered one that used single symbols as switches, but I can't say I'd like to. That seems too hard to remember.

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

How about both?

If/when you forget, if you ever knew, when you list the options would it only list the symbols or include what they mean?

[–]Vulptex 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Not for UI though. Actually never let programmers design the UI. I feel that's the only real reason open source projects are so far behind the commercial ones, despite usually being more powerful, because they seem to mostly disregard this rule.

[–]IMissPorn 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Ironically, this feels completely in line with mainstream UI design currently.

Cumbersome UI:

File Edit View History Bookmarks Tools Help

Clean and neat UI:

≡

This is, of course, ridiculous for the same reason.

[–]antares 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I do zip and unzip. I remember nothing else really.