Why so big?

[Mike Bird]

On Sun May 18 2008 12:40:12 Ansgar Burchardt wrote:
> I think it is a bad idea to omit options from man pages just so
> "newbies" won't find them.  This makes them harder to find if they are
> really needed, and how should you find out what they actually do if
> there is no documentation?

Use the Source, Luke.

At minimum: Google, read, think, understand ... before acting.

Hidden "--force" options may be "really needed" but how much do
you know about the consequences of using them?  If you know the
consequences of "--force" then you know that "--force" exists.

If you don't know the consequences, and you use "--force" anyway,
then it's only a matter of time before you do something that you
seriously regret.

Some commands with particularly dire consequences even require
double forcing ("-ff").

--Mike Bird