[Discuss] SCP from STDIN: "-t" option undocumented?

[Jon "maddog" Hall]

As we have all experienced, once an API is published, it is a lot harder
to get rid of it.  In commercial systems you have to "retire" it.

A reason for undocumented APIs is that the creator of the command needs
the API to do something ("scratch an itch"), but did not like the way
they had programmed it and meant to go back later and re-design the
functionality, so did not want people (or at least clueless people) to
start using that functionality in that particular way.

Another reason was that the creator of the command wanted to create an
unpublished interface so they could try out the functionality in large
scale without committing to it for future releases.

Or it could simply be that they created it and forgot to document it.

md

On Fri, 2011-12-23 at 17:31 -0500, John Abreau wrote:
> In my case, I had a passwordless ssh key, and a validate-rsync script
> to use in the key's "command=" prefix in the authorized_keys file.
> I wanted to allow the same key to accept scp as well as rsync.
> I discovered the -t option when I had the validate-rsync script write
> the $SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND to a logfile in order to determine
> how scp works behind the scenes.
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 2:59 PM, Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org> wrote:
> 
> > The issue IMHO, is the lack of documentation for the -t option. I feel
> > that every interface should be documented. As a programmer I am used to
> > APIs. Historically, my colleagues find hidden APIs, and use them for
> > either because they are there or because they might be more efficient.
> ....
> > How many programs have been written to use undocumented APIs
> > only to crash when the vendor changes the API without notice.
> 
> 

-- 
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director           Linux International(R)
email: maddog at li.org         80 Amherst St. 
Voice: +1.603.673.7875       Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.li.org

Board Member: Uniforum Association
Board Member Emeritus: USENIX Association (2000-2006)

(R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several
countries.
(R)Linux International is a registered trademark in the USA used
pursuant
   to a license from Linux Mark Institute, authorized licensor of Linus
   Torvalds, owner of the Linux trademark on a worldwide basis
(R)UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the USA and other
   countries.