On 2009-01-01, Junio C Hamano <gitster@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > * Is it a good idea to standardize on "one or more" semantics? I suspect > we would rather want to standardize on "zero or more", because it would > be more natural to say: > > $ git diff [--] <paths>... > > to mean "You can give paths if you want to but you do not have to". If > ellipses meant "one or more", you have to say this instead: > > $ git diff [--] [<paths>...] For what it is worth, I have always understood "..." to mean "more of the preceding", meaning "one or more". That is your first example above. Zero or more is your second syntax above, because the whole thing is in brackets, and hence completely optional. In regex terms (to me anyway): a? == [a] a+ == a... a* == [a...] -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe git" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
