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This option should provide version info to a user without starting the IDE. The initial implementation of this should probably just return the simplest amount of detail similar to the -version option on java. I can imagine this could be extended to address a wide variety of details about module versions etc...
I think more than anything else, I'd like to have this as a basic information before I start the IDE (which might take 2 minutes). Also, I have a Solaris box that I can (r)login to. I have an NB executable path and want to know the version. I don't think everything about IDE could be known only after starting the IDE. (Imagine what would happen if Java VM won't start unless you provided a main class ;))
Detailed info about the IDE is always displayed on the console when you start it when logging to console is enabled (default on in dev builds, off in release builds). Suggest --version: display quick summary to stderr a la TopLogging, such as Product Version = NetBeans IDE Dev (Build 051028) Operating System = Linux version 2.6.13-1.1532_FC4 running on i386 Java; VM; Vendor = 1.6.0-ea; Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM 1.6.0-ea-b57; Sun Microsystems Inc. Java Home = /space/jdk1.6.0-b57/jre System Locale; Encod. = en_US (nb); UTF-8 IDE Install; User Dir = /space/nb/curr/platform6; /home/jglick/nbdev and exit. Optionally, also --showversion: like --version but do not exit afterwards. BTW TopLogging's "IDE Install" should probably be modified to display ${netbeans.home}:${netbeans.dirs} rather than the current ${netbeans.home} only. The About box already does this correctly. I will try to patch it.
More useful info block: committed Up-To-Date 1.4 core/startup/src/org/netbeans/core/startup/TopLogging.java