xmore

xmore [file ...]

file ...
    One or more text files to display. If no files are specified, xmore reads from standard input.

xmore is a straightforward text file pager designed for the X Window System. It functions similarly to the traditional Unix `more` command, allowing users to view text content one screenful at a time. Unlike its console counterpart, xmore can launch its own dedicated X window for displaying the content, providing a basic graphical interface for navigation. This makes it particularly useful for examining large text files, viewing command output, or displaying manual pages directly within an X environment without needing a separate terminal emulator. It supports essential navigation commands, such as pressing the spacebar to advance to the next screen, 'q' to quit, and '/' for searching within the displayed text. Its core functionality often relies on wrapping a console pager like `more` or `less` within an `xterm` window.

xmore is typically implemented as a simple shell script wrapper around console pagers like `more` or `less` and an X terminal emulator like `xterm`. Consequently, its specific functionality and available options are largely dictated by the underlying tools it invokes rather than having extensive intrinsic features. It is generally less feature-rich than more modern graphical text viewers. Its availability depends on the X Window System utilities being installed on the system.

xmore is frequently used to view the contents of a file directly: `xmore myfile.txt`.
It can also be used to paginate the output of another command: `ls -l | xmore` or `man ls | xmore`.

xmore emerged during the early development of the X Window System as a utility to bridge traditional Unix command-line tools with the new graphical desktop environment. Its primary aim was to provide a simple, X-native way to paginate text, mirroring the functionality of the console-based `more` command. It served as a basic solution for viewing large text outputs or files without having to switch back to a character-based terminal. Its design as a simple wrapper reflects the pragmatic approach of integrating existing robust tools into the graphical paradigm.

more(1), less(1), xterm(1), xdg-open(1)