Improved the option-descriptions in the --help text.

diff --git a/options.c b/options.c
index 0819309..28936f0 100644 (file)
--- a/options.c
+++ b/options.c
@@ -247,23 +247,23 @@ void usage(enum logcode F)
   rprintf(F,"  sources separated by space as long as they have same top-level\n");
   rprintf(F,"\nOptions\n");
   rprintf(F," -v, --verbose               increase verbosity\n");
-  rprintf(F," -q, --quiet                 decrease verbosity\n");
-  rprintf(F," -c, --checksum              always checksum\n");
-  rprintf(F," -a, --archive               archive mode, equivalent to -rlptgoD (no -H)\n");
+  rprintf(F," -q, --quiet                 suppress non-error messages\n");
+  rprintf(F," -c, --checksum              skip based on checksum, not mod-time & size\n");
+  rprintf(F," -a, --archive               archive mode; same as -rlptgoD (no -H)\n");
   rprintf(F," -r, --recursive             recurse into directories\n");
   rprintf(F," -R, --relative              use relative path names\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --no-relative           turn off --relative\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --no-implied-dirs       don't send implied dirs with -R\n");
   rprintf(F," -b, --backup                make backups (see --suffix & --backup-dir)\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --backup-dir            make backups into this directory\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --suffix=SUFFIX         backup suffix (default %s w/o --backup-dir)\n",BACKUP_SUFFIX);
-  rprintf(F," -u, --update                update only (don't overwrite newer files)\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --backup-dir=DIR        make backups into hierarchy based in DIR\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --suffix=SUFFIX         set backup suffix (default %s w/o --backup-dir)\n",BACKUP_SUFFIX);
+  rprintf(F," -u, --update                skip files that are newer on the receiver\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --inplace               update destination files in-place (SEE MAN PAGE)\n");
   rprintf(F," -d, --dirs                  transfer directories without recursing\n");
   rprintf(F," -l, --links                 copy symlinks as symlinks\n");
-  rprintf(F," -L, --copy-links            copy the referent of all symlinks\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --copy-unsafe-links     copy the referent of \"unsafe\" symlinks\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --safe-links            ignore \"unsafe\" symlinks\n");
+  rprintf(F," -L, --copy-links            transform symlink into referent file/dir\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --copy-unsafe-links     only \"unsafe\" symlinks are transformed\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --safe-links            ignore symlinks that point outside the source tree\n");
   rprintf(F," -H, --hard-links            preserve hard links\n");
   rprintf(F," -K, --keep-dirlinks         treat symlinked dir on receiver as dir\n");
   rprintf(F," -p, --perms                 preserve permissions\n");
@@ -274,13 +274,13 @@ void usage(enum logcode F)
   rprintf(F," -O, --omit-dir-times        omit directories when preserving times\n");
   rprintf(F," -S, --sparse                handle sparse files efficiently\n");
   rprintf(F," -n, --dry-run               show what would have been transferred\n");
-  rprintf(F," -W, --whole-file            copy whole files, no incremental checks\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --no-whole-file         turn off --whole-file\n");
+  rprintf(F," -W, --whole-file            copy files whole\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --no-whole-file         always use incremental rsync algorithm\n");
   rprintf(F," -x, --one-file-system       don't cross filesystem boundaries\n");
   rprintf(F," -B, --block-size=SIZE       force a fixed checksum block-size\n");
-  rprintf(F," -e, --rsh=COMMAND           specify the remote shell\n");
+  rprintf(F," -e, --rsh=COMMAND           specify the remote shell to use\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --rsync-path=PATH       specify path to rsync on the remote machine\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --existing              only update files that already exist\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --existing              only update files that already exist on receiver\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --ignore-existing       ignore files that already exist on receiving side\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --del                   an alias for --delete-during\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --delete                delete files that don't exist on the sending side\n");
@@ -294,40 +294,40 @@ void usage(enum logcode F)
   rprintf(F,"     --max-size=SIZE         don't transfer any file larger than SIZE\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --partial               keep partially transferred files\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --partial-dir=DIR       put a partially transferred file into DIR\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --delay-updates         update all transferred files into place at end\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --delay-updates         put all updated files into place at transfer's end\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --numeric-ids           don't map uid/gid values by user/group name\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --timeout=TIME          set I/O timeout in seconds\n");
-  rprintf(F," -I, --ignore-times          turn off mod time & file size quick check\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --size-only             ignore mod time for quick check (use size)\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --modify-window=NUM     compare mod times with reduced accuracy\n");
+  rprintf(F," -I, --ignore-times          don't skip files that match in size and mod-time\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --size-only             skip files that match in size\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --modify-window=NUM     compare mod-times with reduced accuracy\n");
   rprintf(F," -T, --temp-dir=DIR          create temporary files in directory DIR\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --compare-dest=DIR      also compare destination files relative to DIR\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --copy-dest=DIR         ... and include copies of unchanged files\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --link-dest=DIR         hardlink to files in DIR when unchanged\n");
-  rprintf(F," -P                          equivalent to --partial --progress\n");
   rprintf(F," -z, --compress              compress file data\n");
-  rprintf(F," -C, --cvs-exclude           auto ignore files in the same way CVS does\n");
+  rprintf(F," -C, --cvs-exclude           auto-ignore files the same way CVS does\n");
   rprintf(F," -f, --filter=RULE           add a file-filtering RULE\n");
   rprintf(F," -F                          same as --filter=': /.rsync-filter'\n");
   rprintf(F,"                             repeated: --filter='- .rsync-filter'\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --exclude=PATTERN       exclude files matching PATTERN\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --exclude-from=FILE     exclude patterns listed in FILE\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --exclude-from=FILE     read exclude patterns from FILE\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --include=PATTERN       don't exclude files matching PATTERN\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --include-from=FILE     don't exclude patterns listed in FILE\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --files-from=FILE       read FILE for list of source-file names\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --include-from=FILE     read include patterns from FILE\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --files-from=FILE       read list of source-file names from FILE\n");
   rprintf(F," -0, --from0                 all *-from file lists are delimited by nulls\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --version               print version number\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --port=PORT             specify double-colon alternate port number\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --blocking-io           use blocking I/O for the remote shell\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --no-blocking-io        turn off --blocking-io\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --stats                 give some file transfer stats\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --no-blocking-io        turn off blocking I/O when it is the default\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --stats                 give some file-transfer stats\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --progress              show progress during transfer\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --log-format=FORMAT     log file transfers using specified format\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --password-file=FILE    get password from FILE\n");
+  rprintf(F," -P                          same as --partial --progress\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --log-format=FORMAT     log file-transfers using specified format\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --password-file=FILE    read password from FILE\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --list-only             list the files instead of copying them\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --bwlimit=KBPS          limit I/O bandwidth, KBytes per second\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --write-batch=FILE      write a batch to FILE\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --read-batch=FILE       read a batch from FILE\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --bwlimit=KBPS          limit I/O bandwidth; KBytes per second\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --write-batch=FILE      write a batched update to FILE\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --read-batch=FILE       read a batched update from FILE\n");
 #ifdef INET6
   rprintf(F," -4, --ipv4                  prefer IPv4\n");
   rprintf(F," -6, --ipv6                  prefer IPv6\n");
@@ -451,10 +451,10 @@ static void daemon_usage(enum logcode F)
 
   rprintf(F,"\nUsage: rsync --daemon [OPTION]...\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --address=ADDRESS       bind to the specified address\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --bwlimit=KBPS          limit I/O bandwidth, KBytes per second\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --bwlimit=KBPS          limit I/O bandwidth; KBytes per second\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --config=FILE           specify alternate rsyncd.conf file\n");
   rprintf(F,"     --no-detach             do not detach from the parent\n");
-  rprintf(F,"     --port=PORT             specify alternate rsyncd port number\n");
+  rprintf(F,"     --port=PORT             listen on alternate port number\n");
 #ifdef INET6
   rprintf(F," -4, --ipv4                  prefer IPv4\n");
   rprintf(F," -6, --ipv6                  prefer IPv6\n");