FS utils treates directories as files?

[Douglas Berry]

On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:16:48 PDT, Tim Kientzle wrote:
> Thomas Backman wrote:
> > FreeBSD 8.0-CURRENT r193521 (Jun 5), bash:
> > [root at chaos /usr/ports]# cat /
> > �g��=[root at chaos /usr/ports]#
> > 
> > Mac OS X 10.5, bash:
> > serenity at macbookpro ~ $ cat /
> > cat: /: Is a directory
> > 
> > Linux, bash:
> > (21:34) serenity at exscape ~ $ cat /
> > cat: /: Is a directory
> > 
> > The same applies to most FS utilities. Is this a feature or not? I find 
> > it pretty darn weird.
> 
> 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.
> 
> If you have patches, please send them along.
> (I would really appreciate a "less" that was
> smart enough to generate directory listings.)

Have you tried ports/misc/lesspipe?

cheers,
doug