I consider double-dashes to be a mistake. hell, after a few drinks and quiet thought I consider single dashes to be a mistake. Perhaps the dd arg=val form is actually the ideal argv method after all. What if getopt was all a huge mistake. And then I sober up and realize they are just dashes, useless but harmless, not a thing worth worrying about.

And then you have the absolutely inane doubledash --arg=value format. Way to carry a bad idea to it's logical conclusion guys. somebody drunk their getopt kool-aid that morning. just get rid of the stupid dashes if you are going to do that.