openssh unix dev - Jun 2014 - -h, --help option

Hi,

tmux author refuses to add -h, --help option, because OpenSSH
does not have it [1]. I don't see why convenience features of tmux
should depend on OpenSSH, but because I have no other choice
(and got curious) I ask here - why OpenSSH doesn't provide -h or
--help option?

I use PuTTY as my client, which processes --help option, and for
`ssh` binary I usually use Google + StackOverflow. Having --help
option that works as an human friendly entrypoint for more
information about command would certainly save some time.

Current output from `ssh --help`:
usage: ssh [-1246AaCfgkMNnqsTtVvXxY] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec]
           [-D [bind_address:]port] [-e escape_char] [-F configfile]
           [-i identity_file] [-L [bind_address:]port:host:hostport]
           [-l login_name] [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-p port]
           [-R [bind_address:]port:host:hostport] [-S ctl_path]
           [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]] [user@]hostname [command]

Proposed output:
C:\Program Files\Git\bin>ssh.exe --87
usage: ssh [options] [user@]hostname [command]

options:
  -h --help     show this help
  -v --verbose    increase verbosity
  --version     show version

  -p port        port if different from default (default:22)
  -l login_name
  -i identity_file
  -F configfile

tunnel options:
  -D [bind_address:]port   run SOCKS server
  -L [bind_address:]port:host:hostport
                                     connect local port to remote host
  -R [bind_address:]port:host:hostport
                                     forward local port for remote
access at host:hostport

use ssh --help --verbose to show more options.


These can be expanded in `ssh -h -v`. I don't remember what these mean.

  [-1246AaCfgkMNnqsTtVvXxY] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec]
           [-e escape_char]
           [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option]
           [-S ctl_path]
           [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]]


1. http://sourceforge.net/p/tmux/mailman/message/32480639/

-- 
anatoly t.

ssh is too complex and a --help option would be a simplistic lie.

However, it has an awesome manpage, and this is where the documentation should
be.


> Am 23.06.2014 um 11:44 schrieb anatoly techtonik <techtonik at
gmail.com>:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> tmux author refuses to add -h, --help option, because OpenSSH
> does not have it [1]. I don't see why convenience features of tmux
> should depend on OpenSSH, but because I have no other choice
> (and got curious) I ask here - why OpenSSH doesn't provide -h or
> --help option?
> 
> I use PuTTY as my client, which processes --help option, and for
> `ssh` binary I usually use Google + StackOverflow. Having --help
> option that works as an human friendly entrypoint for more
> information about command would certainly save some time.
> 
> Current output from `ssh --help`:
> usage: ssh [-1246AaCfgkMNnqsTtVvXxY] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec]
>           [-D [bind_address:]port] [-e escape_char] [-F configfile]
>           [-i identity_file] [-L [bind_address:]port:host:hostport]
>           [-l login_name] [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-p port]
>           [-R [bind_address:]port:host:hostport] [-S ctl_path]
>           [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]] [user@]hostname [command]
> 
> Proposed output:
> C:\Program Files\Git\bin>ssh.exe --87
> usage: ssh [options] [user@]hostname [command]
> 
> options:
>  -h --help     show this help
>  -v --verbose    increase verbosity
>  --version     show version
> 
>  -p port        port if different from default (default:22)
>  -l login_name
>  -i identity_file
>  -F configfile
> 
> tunnel options:
>  -D [bind_address:]port   run SOCKS server
>  -L [bind_address:]port:host:hostport
>                                     connect local port to remote host
>  -R [bind_address:]port:host:hostport
>                                     forward local port for remote
> access at host:hostport
> 
> use ssh --help --verbose to show more options.
> 
> 
> These can be expanded in `ssh -h -v`. I don't remember what these mean.
> 
>  [-1246AaCfgkMNnqsTtVvXxY] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec]
>           [-e escape_char]
>           [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option]
>           [-S ctl_path]
>           [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]]
> 
> 
> 1. http://sourceforge.net/p/tmux/mailman/message/32480639/
> 
> -- 
> anatoly t.
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