Bug#4178: silly problem with less
Package: less
Version: 321-1
When I run less on a 0 byte file, it displays its help screen (same as
if you less a normal file and press 'h').
Example:
[joey@kite] ~/work>touch foo
[joey@kite] ~/work>less foo
SUMMARY OF LESS COMMANDS
Commands marked with * may be preceded by a number, N.
Notes in parentheses indicate the behavior if N is given.
h H Display this help.
q :q Q :Q ZZ Exit.
e ^E j ^N CR * Forward one line (or N lines).
...
I hesitate to report this as a bug, but it's really annoying me, as I
expect that if I look at a zero byte file, I'll just see
"foo line 0/0 (END)". I do a double-take every time I look at some empty
log file and get the less help screen. I've used less in slackware,
redhat, etc, and those versions of less all work as I expect. Does anyone
know how to get the behavior I want with debian's less?
--
#!/usr/bin/perl -i=-/*/~%*~%/~~%/~~~-/*/_/=~~~-/====~~! jeh22@cornell.edu
$o=35;$_="$^I-*!=====_!/";s/~/!*/g;s~%~-/ / ~g;$_.='--- Joey Hess
';s/=/__/g;y|*!| \\|;for(split/-/){print' 'x$o--."$_\n"}
"How appropriate, you fight like a cow." - - Guybrush Threepwood
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