Re: [BuildStream] bst CLI design and consistency (UI)

[Daniel Silverstone <daniel silverstone codethink co uk>]

On Tue, Dec 04, 2018 at 08:23:25 +0100, Jürg Billeter wrote:
> Does it still make sense to use `fetch` for sources and `pull` for
> artifacts or would it make sense to use `fetch` for both now that they 
> no longer conflict?

I'd argue that since `Pull` and `Fetch` are terms used in queues, and as such
we expect users to be able to understand the difference when groking the UI, I
would keep them separate.  One pulls/pushes artifacts (nice symmetric pair) but
one fetches sources to build.

> Transition
> ----------
>
> I'm also wondering whether we should help existing users a bit and
> provide a nicer experience than just, e.g., 'Error: No such command
> "track"'. We could keep the old top-level names as aliases with a
> deprecation warning, or at least provide an error message with the new
> command name.
>
> Don't know whether that would be straight forward with Click. E.g., we
> probably want to remove the old commands in any case from the top-level 
> help.

In a general sense, IMO, it's best to:

1. provide new UI
2. make old UI warn and then use new UI (if possible)
3. make old UI error and explain what to do to use new UI
4. drop old UI

Ideally 1 and 2 happen in release A, 3 in A+1, and 4 in A+2
(where +1 and +2 don't have to be singular release cycles)


D.

-- 
Daniel Silverstone                          https://www.codethink.co.uk/
Solutions Architect               GPG 4096/R Key Id: 3CCE BABE 206C 3B69