From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG  Wed Jun 10 03:57:44 2009
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To: Tim Kientzle <kientzle@freebsd.org>
In-reply-to: Your message of "Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:16:48 PDT."
	<4A2F25A0.2090307@freebsd.org> 
From: "Douglas Berry" <bitnix@bitnix.ca>
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Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:26:33 -0400
Sender: doug@bitnix.ca
Cc: freebsd-current@freebsd.org, Thomas Backman <serenity@exscape.org>
Subject: Re: FS utils treates directories as files? 
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On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:16:48 PDT, Tim Kientzle wrote:
> Thomas Backman wrote:
> > FreeBSD 8.0-CURRENT r193521 (Jun 5), bash:
> > =5Broot=40chaos /usr/ports=5D=23 cat /
> > =EF=BF=BDg=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=3D=5Broot=40chaos /usr/ports=5D=23
> >=20
> > Mac OS X 10.5, bash:
> > serenity=40macbookpro =7E =24 cat /
> > cat: /: Is a directory
> >=20
> > Linux, bash:
> > (21:34) serenity=40exscape =7E =24 cat /
> > cat: /: Is a directory
> >=20
> > The same applies to most FS utilities. Is this a feature or not? I fi=
nd=20
> > it pretty darn weird.
>=20
> Back in the old days when file systems were
> simpler this was maybe a feature, since you
> could fix FS corruption using a hex editor on
> the raw directory.  But then again, people
> used to kill mammoths with sharpened sticks.
>=20
> If you have patches, please send them along.
> (I would really appreciate a =22less=22 that was
> smart enough to generate directory listings.)

Have you tried ports/misc/lesspipe?

cheers,
doug