Rules

• In old UNIX
  • Look at man ps
  • Single letters were preferred (-f, -H)
  • If a flag includes an argument
    • It should follow the flag immediately, space or not
    • -U bennett
    • -Ubennett
  • These could be grouped (-fHUbennett, -fHU bennett)
    • But the flag that takes an argument must be the last one.
  • ps shows my processes
  • ps -f changes the format
  • ps -H shows in a heirarchy
  • ps -Ubennett shows processes owned by bennett
  • ps -f -H -Ubennett
  • ps -fHUbennett
• By the way, many programs have specified other arguments as well
  • ls takes flags, but files/directories as well.
• ? and - are normally reserved
  • ? means help.
  • - usually means don't read a file, read standard in.
  • This is not a flag, it is usually an argument.
• A more modern version is to use --longname[=value]
  • For ps, --User, ie --User=Bennett, or --User bennett
  • Also, order doesn't matter that much any more.
• We will use the old way for our programs, "The old ways are the good ways" (JM)