Why use more when less has more?

The phrase “Why use more when less has more?” is a fun way to highlight that less is a more powerful and flexible pager than more in Linux.

Differences Between more and less:

  1. Navigation:
    • more: Only allows forward movement through a file, meaning you can’t scroll back.
    • less: Allows both forward and backward navigation, making it more versatile.
  2. Search Functionality:
    • more: Supports searching (/pattern), but it’s limited.
    • less: Supports more powerful searching, including navigating between matches with n (next) and N (previous).
  3. Performance:
    • more: Loads the entire file before displaying, which can be slow for large files.
    • less: Works on demand, loading only portions of the file as needed, making it faster.
  4. Extra Features in less:
    • Supports horizontal scrolling (using arrow keys).
    • Can open compressed files without needing to decompress them first.
    • Allows jumping to specific lines (e.g., 50g jumps to line 50).

Why Use more at All?

  • more is an older, simpler tool and may be pre-installed by default in some systems where less isn’t available.
  • If you just need a quick, forward-only view of a small file, more might be sufficient.

But overall, less is superior, and that’s why: “less is more!“