I agree. Why would anyone ever write a piece of software that has multiple versions of options, when there's no need for the extra wordy versions? In the mkdir source, there is no conditionals around anything to do with "static struct option const longopts[]" - so there's no environment where they wouldn't exist.

From man page for mkdir on a RedHat 6.8 install:

       -m, --mode=MODE
              set file mode (as in chmod), not a=rwx - umask

       -p, --parents
              no error if existing, make parent directories as needed

       -v, --verbose
              print a message for each created directory

       -Z, --context=CTX
              set the SELinux security context of each created directory to CTX

              When COREUTILS_CHILD_DEFAULT_ACLS environment variable is set, -p/--parents option respects default umask and ACLs, as it does
              in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 by default

       --help display this help and exit

       --version
              output version information and exit

Oh, and an old-man rant: get off my lawn.

On 1/20/2017 9:29 AM, Steve Nickolas wrote:

I blame GNU rather than the Linux people. GNU are just as much masters of "embrace, extend, exterminate" as Microsoft.

I've thought of trying to build a "GNUless" Linux distribution with a purer Unix feel, but I get hung trying to step myself through the process.

-uso.