The Command Line
Ah, I've heard the command line praised and cursed, sometimes in the same breath. There are times it is so much easier to just do something at the command line as apposed to finding the correct combination of GUI (Graphical User Interface) check boxes. Some things don't make sense to do at the command line. For example, editing a photo. Though, mass changes to photos are again easier at the command line. I believe there is a balance somewhere. I believe achieving that balance is like trying to catch a puff of smoke in your bare hands.
Today I found out one of the projects I've been working on for six months has a unique attribute that has been causing the trouble we have experienced. In Unix, command line parameters are case sensitive. In Unix, you must use a hyphen and not a slash because Unix (and Linux) use the slash as a path separator. In MS nothing is case sensitive except passwords. In MS, more often than not, hyphens (dashes) and slashes are interchangeable for command line parameters. Well, until now. This time, this project, a -I and a /I have two distinct different actions. The slash causes the system to prompt for a reboot. The hyphen causes the system to reboot without asking. Neither is really acceptable in my case. One causes a registry error and the other causes confusion.
Six months. Six months over a slash vs. a dash. This is one of those times I want to claw some one's heart out while cackling "Give me back six months of my life!!" But, I'm not bitter.