[Bug 1366451] Re: "mksh -v" should display mksh's version number, plus the attached chunk of text, onscreen

[Thorsten Glaser]

Jason requested an explicit answer to
https://bugs.launchpad.net/mksh/+bug/1366451/comments/9 and here it is:

The idea is ok, but you’ll have to take this up with the Android
developers yourself and submit it to AOSP using their Gerrit instance.
That’s all I ever do, too.

I could imagine an implementation like this:

function help {
	cat <<EOF
This is mksh, the MirBSD Korn Shell - $KSH_VERSION

You can use a shell to perform advanced administrative and troubleshooting
tasks. A Unix shell is also a scripting language good for little programs.
On Android, you can also use it to capture screenshots and screencasts.

To work with files and directories:
    See <http://www.cs.bu.edu/teaching/unix/reference/commands.html>.

To work with Android logs, packages, databases, screencasts, and the like:
    See <http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html#shellcommands>.

To view the mksh homepage and manpage:
    Please visit <http://www.mirbsd.org/mksh.htm>.

If you have a question, comment, bug report, or suggestion:
    On Android: Please visit <http://android.stackexchange.com/>.
    On other systems: Please visit <http://unix.stackexchange.com/>.
EOF
}

This would in-situ replace the shell version, even easier than to ask
the user to echo $KSH_VERSION themselves. I also used an http link, to
save bandwidth (the other homepage link redirects to https). I also
added a bit about scripting.

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1366451

Title:
  "mksh -v" should display mksh's version number, plus the attached
  chunk of text, onscreen

Status in The MirBSD Korn Shell:
  Opinion
Status in “mksh” package in Ubuntu:
  Opinion
Status in “mksh” package in Debian:
  Opinion

Bug description:
  It's customary in the Unix world that "-v" or "--version" displays a
  program's version. If someone is logged into an Android device, you
  want to make it easy for them to find out which shell is installed.
  How can you do this? One way is to offer a "-v" option which will tell
  them the answer (and will also tell them mksh's version number).

  May I suggest that, if the user runs "mksh -v", then mksh should echo
  the following to stdout, after which it should immediately exit.

  --- cut here ---
  mksh R50b+cvs
  This is mksh, the MirBSD Korn Shell.

  Homepage:  <http://mirbsd.de/mksh>.

  Copyright (C) 2002-2014 Thorsten Glaser.
  This is open-source software; see <https://www.mirbsd.org/TaC-mksh.txt> for copying conditions.

  This work is provided "AS IS" and WITHOUT WARRANTY of any kind, to
  the utmost extent permitted by applicable law, neither express nor
  implied; without malicious intent or gross negligence.

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