Memorizing *nix command line arguments

Using bash_completion is one way of not having to remember the precise syntax of program arguments.

> svn [tab][tab]--help     checkout   delete     lock       pdel       propget    revert--version  ci         diff       log        pedit      proplist   rm-h         cleanup    export     ls         pget       propset    statusadd        co         help       merge      plist      pset       switchannotate   commit     import     mkdir      praise     remove     unlockblame      copy       info       move       propdel    rename     updatecat        cp         list       mv         propedit   resolved   

If I don't use a command regularly enough to remember what I want, I tend to just use --help or the man pages when I need to.

Or, if I'm lucky, I use CTRL+R and let bash's history search find when I last used it.

Eventually you just remember them, well the set that you use anyway. I used to maintain a README in my home directory when I was starting out but that disappeared many years ago.

One useful command is man -k which you pass a word to and it will return a list of all commands whose man page summary contains that word.