[teraflop]

Sure it does. If your log lines are distinct (e.g. they have timestamps or unique IDs) then you can use less's search highlighting to provide a visual marker for a specific line, similar to what you can do by manually inserting a bunch of blank lines on the console.

This trick doesn't work if your log file has a bunch of identical lines and you want to keep an eye on their rate, though.

[gojomo]

Having to remember & type a timestamp has much more mental overhead (planning & memory) than "scan/scroll back to last block of vertical whitespace".

That's why suggestions of either named-marks or back-searches aren't considered equally-attractive alternatives to marking the scrollback with a batch of <return>s.

[shawabawa3]

imagine the scenario: "I want to see everything that happens in a single request"

Enter method:

  1. Press enter a bunch of times
  2. Reload browser
  3. Press enter a bunch of times and scroll up

Your method:

  1. Search for last line in output to highlight it?
  2. Reload page
  3. Try and figure out where stuff starts and ends with loads of visual noise

[teraflop]

I won't argue that for this specific use case, tail isn't friendlier than less.

But the original poster posted a useful tip, and is now getting aggressive downvotes and comments like "This has nothing to do with what is being discussed in this subthread." I think that's unwarranted.

[MadcapJake]

less method:

  1. ma
  2. Reload browser
  3. 'a

less method with two marks:

  1. ma
  2. Reload browser
  3. mb
  4. 'a

[ajanuary]

Unfortunately mark doesn't seem to work while you're following.

[shangxiao]

A bunch of blank lines is a lot more grokable than timestamps lost in a bunch of text.