hsb.horse
When typing commands in the shell, shortening frequently used ones with aliases is the standard move. The problem is that aliases leave the shortened form in history, which makes it harder to tell what actually ran when you look back later.
With an abbreviation tool, you can type the short form while entering the command, but keep the fully expanded command in history after expansion.
Why I picked zabrze
I had been using zsh-abbr on my work machine. I was not using any abbreviation tool on my personal machine, but after reading An Introduction to Abbreviation Expansion as an Alternative to Aliases, zabrze looked simple enough to be worth trying.
I decided to install it on my personal machine first and see how it felt.
What is zabrze
zabrze is one of the abbreviation expansion tools for zsh. It automatically expands abbreviations registered in a config file when you press Space or Enter.
Because the expanded command is stored in history, it is easier to check later which options you used at the time.
How to install it
The installation steps and setup are documented in the zabrze repository. You can start using it by adding just a few lines to your zsh config file.
Registering abbreviations is also simple. You only need to write the short form and the expanded command in a dedicated config file.
Summary
Compared with zsh-abbr, zabrze has simpler configuration and a lower barrier to entry.
I want to try it on my personal machine first, then consider moving my work machine as well if it feels good enough.