Merge ping+ping6 and traceroue+traceroute6 to single utilities?

[Mark Martinec]

2014-02-11 10:00, Jason Hellenthal wrote:
> ping localhost ("grab any name, you just want to know its alive")
> ping 127.0.0.1 ("you know you are pinging v4 without a doubt")
> ping ::1 ("you also know you are pinging v6 without a doubt")
> 
> ping -4 localhost ("you know you are getting v4 without a doubt")
> ping -6 localhost ("you know you are getting v6 without a doubt")
> 
> ping -4 ::1 ("must be retarded in some way")

That's how it works in several commercial routers (Cisco, Summit, 
Juniper, ...)
and that's how it works in Windows 7/8.  No surprises to a user there,
'does the right thing'.

> Doing it right and merging these two would leave for more constructive 
> use.
[...]
> There is no reason whatsoever that these utilities cannot be combined. 
> And
> there is one very valid reason they should be.
[...]
> Quite frankly I am tired of seeing the old pessimism and paradigms that
> projects keep falling into over silly little subtle changes.

Remember the original PHK's story ( http://bikeshed.com/ ) ?
It ended favourably for the sleep(1) command, it got its new feature.
What can be learned there is: just needs someone to do it and be
persistent enough to be accepted.

Looks like a perfect task for Google Summer of Code 2014,
time to apply is very near:
   http://www.google-melange.com/gsoc/homepage/google/gsoc2014


Mark