Question

Which command allows you to view the contents of a file without opening a text editor?

ls -l
pwd
less
cat

Answer 1

To view the contents of a file without using a text editor, utilize the cat or less commands; cat is ideal for small files and less is better for larger files.

Step-by-step explanation:

To view the contents of a file without opening it in a text editor, you can use the cat or less commands in a command-line interface. Using ls -l will list files and their permissions, while pwd displays the current working directory. The cat command is used to concatenate and display the content of a file or multiple files, and it is suitable for viewing small files. On the other hand, less is a pager program that allows you to view larger files one screen at a time, making it easier to navigate through the content.

Here's how you would use these commands:

1. cat filename - This will display the entire contents of 'filename' on your screen at once.
2. less filename - This will open 'filename' in an environment where you can scroll through the content. Press 'q' to quit the less viewer.