[tex-k] - vs. -- for options

[A. Komornicki]

Karl, 
  sounds like a good idea.  
Is there a historical reason why both are used ? 

andrew 

At 02:49 PM 1/5/04, Karl Berry wrote:
>I know several people (including myself) who have been confused about -
>vs. -- to start options.  I'd like to suggest the help messages
>explicitly say options can start with either one.  It's stated in the
>manual, but ...
>
>Also, the index in the manual is inconsistent about this; most entries
>start with -, but a few --'s remain.
>
>Thanks,
>k
>__