English [en]

For thirty years, the Free Software Foundation has been seen as a guiding light for the free software movement, fighting for user freedom.

Help keep our light burning brightly by donating to push us towards our goal of raising $450,000 by January 31st.

$450k
314k so far

GNU less

GNU less is a program similar to more, but which allows backward movement in the file as well as forward movement. Also, less does not have to read the entire input file before starting, so with large input files it starts up faster than text editors like vi. Less uses termcap (or terminfo on some systems), so it can run on a variety of terminals. There is even limited support for hardcopy terminals.

Downloading less

less can be found on the main GNU ftp server: http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/less/ (via HTTP) and ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/less/ (via FTP). It can also be found on the GNU mirrors; please use a mirror if possible.

Mailing lists

less uses the following email for bug reports: <bug-less@gnu.org>

Announcements about less and most other GNU software are made on info-gnu (archive).

Security reports that should not be made immediately public can be sent directly to the maintainer. If there is no response to an urgent issue, you can escalate to the general security mailing list for advice.

Getting involved

Development of less, and GNU in general, is a volunteer effort, and you can contribute. For information, please read How to help GNU. If you'd like to get involved, it's a good idea to join the discussion mailing list (see above).

Maintainer
less is currently being maintained by Mark Nudelman. Please use <bug-less@gnu.org> for contact.

Licensing

less is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

[FSF logo] “Our mission is to preserve, protect and promote the freedom to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer software, and to defend the rights of Free Software users.”

The Free Software Foundation is the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Operating System. Support GNU and the FSF by buying manuals and gear, joining the FSF as an associate member, or making a donation, either directly to the FSF or via Flattr.

back to top