#106773 less(1) manpage is weird

Package:
less
Source:
less
Description:
pager program similar to more
Submitter:
Tomasz Wegrzanowski
Date:
2026-06-08 07:35:02 UTC
Severity:
wishlist
#106773#5
Date:
2001-07-27 03:07:50 UTC
From:
To:
Manpage is quite disorganized.
It would really help if section OPTIONS were moved up,
to just after DESCRIPTION, as OPTIONS are what most people search for
in manpage, and they are placed there in majority of manpages.
#106773#8
Date:
2001-07-27 19:20:53 UTC
From:
To:
----- Forwarded message from Tomasz Wegrzanowski <taw@users.sourceforge.net> -----

Subject: Bug#106773: less(1) manpage is weird
Reply-To: Tomasz Wegrzanowski <taw@users.sourceforge.net>, 106773@bugs.debian.org
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 05:07:50 +0200
From: Tomasz Wegrzanowski <taw@users.sourceforge.net>
To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Package: less
Version: 358-7
Severity: wishlist

Manpage is quite disorganized.
It would really help if section OPTIONS were moved up,
to just after DESCRIPTION, as OPTIONS are what most people search for
in manpage, and they are placed there in majority of manpages.

----- End forwarded message -----
#106773#9
Date:
2001-07-27 21:03:52 UTC
From:
To:
I rather disagree.  I think for an interactive program like "less", the main
thing people want to know is the command keys, which is why the COMMANDS
section is before OPTIONS.  Many users rarely if ever use command line
options in less.  Is the placement of COMMANDS before OPTIONS the only
issue?  What else is "disorganized" about the man page?
--Mark

----- Original Message -----
From: "Thomas Schoepf" <schoepf@debian.org>
To: <bug-less@gnu.org>
Cc: "Tomasz Wegrzanowski" <taw@users.sourceforge.net>;
<106773-forwarded@bugs.debian.org>
<taw@users.sourceforge.net> -----
106773@bugs.debian.org
#106773#10
Date:
2001-07-27 20:24:56 UTC
From:
To:
I think that options -F and -r are quite often used.

The second problem is that NATIONAL CHARACTER SETS is very
deeply hidden. (on line 1091 here).

Maybe it's just because manpage is too big that things I wanted to
find were hard to find.
I'd suggest converting it to info format ?
Not that i'm volunteering or something ...
#106773#11
Date:
2001-07-27 21:37:02 UTC
From:
To:
Eh?  There is no -F option.  Perhaps you mean +F?
I guess everyone's usage patterns are different.  I personally never use -r.
I agree that the man page is huge and hard to navigate if you're looking for
some specific piece of information.  Info format would probably be useful,
for those who use it.  The GNU folks have asked me to produce a texinfo
manual, but I want to figure out a way to produce man pages and texinfo (or
whatever) from one source, so I don't have to maintain two different
manuals.
--Mark

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tomasz Wegrzanowski" <taw@users.sourceforge.net>
To: "Mark Nudelman" <marknu@flash.net>
Cc: "Thomas Schoepf" <schoepf@debian.org>; <bug-less@gnu.org>; "Tomasz
Wegrzanowski" <taw@users.sourceforge.net>;
<106773-forwarded@bugs.debian.org>
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 1:24 PM
Subject: Re: [taw@users.sourceforge.net: Bug#106773: less(1) manpage is
weird]
main
#106773#12
Date:
2001-07-27 21:01:47 UTC
From:
To:
Huh ? There is -F option.

       -F or --quit-if-one-screen
              Causes less to automatically  exit  if  the  entire
              file can be displayed on the first screen.

That's the most useful less option for me.

Unfortunatelly, I don't know about any way to make two from one source.
#106773#17
Date:
2003-07-18 14:26:48 UTC
From:
To:
To make both info and man pages, it seems you could make an info page,
and translate it into a man page. See the info2man Debian package.
#106773#22
Date:
2026-06-08 07:33:12 UTC
From:
To:
Hello,

sounds to me the discussion has come to an end. The man page is fine as
it is and won't be modified in its structure. The reasons are explained.

Any objections against closing it?

Christian