Alr command line syntax is way too confusing, difficult to remember, and counterintuitive. First, there's a help command with the following syntax alr help [command]; and then there's a help flag written as alr [command] --help or alr [command] . A user who needs help shouldn't have to figure out whether the two different invocation forms are the same or different. It's also cruel to require usage grammar for the command form. Placing the help after the command is misinterpreted. The command form of help offers no utility other than upholding UNIX's longstanding tradition of user hostility and confusion.

While the help displays the commands with a brief description, it offers no help for the command options. Issuing alr help -c, for instance, doesn't help. What is in the configuration folder? How do I specify the path with quotes or no quotes, etc? alr help config shows various configuration options, but doesn't show any examples to clarify them to the user. Modern computer users frequently cut and paste commands into the terminal and change arguments to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, there should be examples everywhere. Not theoretical examples, but real-world ones such as alr config --set editor.cmd code --global.

Finally, the most useful and simplest part of Alire is the interactive configuration or assistant. It should be an available option for all commands and featured prominently where it cannot be overlooked by the user. Expecting users to type in pathnames and issue long chains of arguments is user abuse from a bygone era. Users who need to express their manliness and intimidate their rivals are free to self-flagellate using Alire's commands and flags. The rest of us want to focus on the programming at hand, not the tool.