Package: less
Version: 406-0
Severity: normal
'less' is 23 years old:
% man less | grep Copyright
Copyright (C) 1984-2007 Mark Nudelman
In *nix back then the main free file readers/pagers were 'more' and
'vi' in read-only mode:
% apt-cache show less | grep Desc -nA 4
14:Description: Pager program similar to more
15- Less is a program similar to more(1), but which allows backward
16- movement in the file as well as forward movement. Also, less does not
17- have to read the entire input file before starting, so with large input
18- files it starts up faster than text editors like vi(1). Less uses
% man less | grep DESC -nA 4
22:DESCRIPTION
23- Less is a program similar to more (1), but which allows backward
move-
24- ment in the file as well as forward movement. Also, less does
not have
25- to read the entire input file before starting, so with large
input
26- files it starts up faster than text editors like vi (1).
Less uses
Those topical references have dated. Few people use 'more' or 'vi' as a
file viewer in 2007. One might argue that mentioning 'more' teaches
users the name 'less' was originally a play on words. In the
man page that belongs under a HISTORY header.
It's useless in the package description.
Suggested Debian package description revision:
'less' is a memory efficient file pager and filter that features
backward
and forward scrolling.
The current description also contains references to 'termcap',
'terminfo' and 'hardcopy' which seem of doubtful relevance in 2007 --
I'd say cut those too. At the very least cut this 'OR':
Less uses termcap (or terminfo on some systems), ...
...as in Debian it presumably only runs on one or the other,
and somebody must know which.
Hope this helps...
PS: I noticed this while reading the package description for 'jless'
which borrows the 'less' description.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
APT prefers unstable
APT policy: (500, 'unstable')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.21-1-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968) (ignored: LC_ALL set to C)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Versions of packages less depends on:
ii debianutils 2.22.1 Miscellaneous utilities specific t
ii libc6 2.5-11 GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii libncurses5 5.6-3 Shared libraries for terminal hand
less recommends no packages.
-- debconf-show failed
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