[Python-Dev] Python 2.7b1 and argparse's version action

[Tobias Herp]

Steven Bethard schrieb:
> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 2:35 PM, Tobias Herp <Tobias.Herp at gmx.de> wrote:
>> Steven Bethard schrieb:
>>> On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 3:31 AM, Tobias Herp <Tobias.Herp at gmx.de> wrote:
>>>> *Argparse should simply do this like optparse does already.*
>>>> I.e., use '--version', '--help' and '-h' by default, but not '-v'.
>>> [snip]
>>>> The deprecation of the 'version' argument press-gangs people to replace
>>>> it by
>>>>  parser.add_argument('--version', action='version',
>>>>                      version='<the version>',    # the only common part
>>>>                      help="show program's version number and exit")
>>>
>>> What Tobias has conveniently omitted is that there was not much
>>> agreement on what the default behavior of the version flag should be.
> [snip a bunch of Tobias's opinions on what the default should be]
>>>
>>> But I'd really like a consensus about the correct behavior, and so far
>>> I have not seen that.
>>
>> We'll have one ;-)
> 
> I hope you can understand that I don't consider your personal opinion
> alone as a consensus.

Be careful.  There have been other personal opinions, and there are very
many *X programs which form a standard which should be followed, and
this is a /very strong/ argument, IMO.

What you conveniently omitted is that I collected a lot of examples and
commented the choices (part of which were part of your poll).
Unfortunately you completely ignored these very prosaic arguments.

By the way, I just had a look at your poll (currently 81 votes).
Correct me if I'm wrong, but...
- AFAICS, you didn't provide your audience with any background
  information, e.g.
  - how optparse does it (and migration should be as easy as possible,
    right?)
  - the existing de-facto standard "--version [-V]"
- the choice which reflects my proposal got the most votes
  (46.9% currently)
- 42.0% voted for dropping the version argument, which is a minority
  (bzw., do you really think the 46.9%
  would like the version argument to be deprecated?!)
  which apparently didn't consider the optparse migration/analogy issue.

Furthermore, nobody who dislikes the version feature is forced to use it.
If 60% had voted for removal of a feature which is important and
convenient for 40%, would you remove it?  Really?
IMO, removal of a feature which is used by 40% is out of the question;
and if removal is, deprecation is as well.

Back to the actual numbers: dropping the argument is impossible (/and so
is deprecation/); drop the 42.0%.
Take the remaining numbers: 46.9% voted for the change, and 11.1%
against it.

Do you take your own poll seriously?

-- 
Tobias