Ask HN: What are the best and worst command-line interfaces you have used?

  $ docker
  
  Usage:  docker [OPTIONS] COMMAND
  
  A self-sufficient runtime for containers
  
  Options:
    ... (a list of items)
    -v, --version            Print version information and quit
  
  Management Commands:
    ... (a list of items)
    image       Manage images
  
  Commands:
    ... (a list of items)
  
  Run 'docker COMMAND --help' for more information on a command.
  
  To get more help with docker, check out our guides at https://docs.docker.com/go/guides/
  
  
  $ docker image
  
  Usage:  docker image COMMAND
  
  Manage images
  
  Commands:
    ... (a list of items)
    ls          List images
    ... (a list of items)
    pull        Pull an image or a repository from a registry
  
  Run 'docker image COMMAND --help' for more information on a command.
  
  
  $ docker image pull
  
  "docker image pull" requires exactly 1 argument.
  See 'docker image pull --help'.
  
  Usage:  docker image pull [OPTIONS] NAME[:TAG|@DIGEST]
  
  Pull an image or a repository from a registry
  

  $ docker image pull alpine:3.15
  
  3.15: Pulling from library/alpine
  59bf1c3509f3: Pull complete
  Digest: sha256:21a3deaa0d32a8057914f36584b5288d2e5ecc984380bc0118285c70fa8c9300
  Status: Downloaded newer image for alpine:3.15
  docker.io/library/alpine:3.15
  

  $ docker image ls
  
  REPOSITORY   TAG       IMAGE ID       CREATED        SIZE
  alpine       3.15      c059bfaa849c   11 hours ago   5.59MB

  $ tar
  
  tar: You must specify one of the '-Acdtrux', '--delete' or '--test-label' options
  Try 'tar --help' or 'tar --usage' for more information.
  

  $ tar --usage
  
  Usage: tar [-AcdrtuxGnSkUWOmpsMBiajJzZhPlRvwo?] [-g FILE] [-C DIR] [-T FILE]
              [-X FILE] [-f ARCHIVE] [-F NAME] [-L NUMBER] [-b BLOCKS]
              [-H FORMAT] [-V TEXT] [-I PROG] [-K MEMBER-NAME] [-N DATE-OR-FILE]
              ... (a really long list of items)
  

  $ tar --help
  
  Usage: tar [OPTION...] [FILE]...
  GNU 'tar' saves many files together into a single tape or disk archive, and can
  restore individual files from the archive.
  
  Examples:
    tar -cf archive.tar foo bar  # Create archive.tar from files foo and bar.
    tar -tvf archive.tar         # List all files in archive.tar verbosely.
    tar -xf archive.tar          # Extract all files from archive.tar.
  
   Main operation mode:
    ... (a list of items)
    -c, --create               create a new archive
  
   Operation modifiers:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Local file name selection:
    ... (a list of items)
    
   File name matching options (affect both exclude and include patterns):
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Overwrite control:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Select output stream:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Handling of file attributes:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Handling of extended file attributes:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Device selection and switching:
    ... (a list of items)
    -f, --file=ARCHIVE         use archive file or device ARCHIVE
  
   Device blocking:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Archive format selection:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   FORMAT is one of the following:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Compression options:
    ... (a list of items)
    -z, --gzip, --gunzip, --ungzip   filter the archive through gzip
  
   Local file selection:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   File name transformations:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Informative output:
    ... (a list of items)
    -v, --verbose              verbosely list files processed
  
   Compatibility options:
    ... (a list of items)
  
   Other options:
    ... (a list of items)
  
  Mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional
  for any corresponding short options.
  
  The backup suffix is '~', unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.
  The version control may be set with --backup or VERSION_CONTROL, values are:
  
    ... (a list of items)
  
  Valid arguments for the --quoting-style option are:
  
    ... (a list of items)
  
  *This* tar defaults to:
  --format=gnu -f- -b20 --quoting-style=escape --rmt-command=/usr/lib/tar/rmt.exe
  --rsh-command=/usr/bin/rsh
  

  $ # Copied from the Internet, because the documentation is overwhelming
  $ tar -vczf new-archive.tar.gz ./files-i-want-to-archive
  
  ./files-i-want-to-archive/
  ./files-i-want-to-archive/test1.txt
  ./files-i-want-to-archive/test2.txt
  ./files-i-want-to-archive/test3.txt
  

  $ # Consider the full format instead, maybe we should actually use the full parameters more often?
  $ tar --verbose --create --gzip --file=new-archive.tar.gz ./files-i-want-to-archive