I don't mean to dictate how anyone views it; just saying that you can't generalise about people's needs.
highlight -O ansi file.txt | less -R
The Python syntax in Debian's highlight isn't quite right, but feel free to use your favourite syntax highlighter. That's what the UNIX philosophy is all about!
You're taking this in weird directions. Are you trying to argue that there are no benefits to being comfortable reading code without syntax highlighting because there are tools you can apply in every scenario?
And just to counter your suggestion I often use `less` in environments where I am unable to install anything (or it doesn't make much sense to, like a Docker container).
You're trying to apply technical solutions to a problem where I was trying to highlight (pun intended) the cognitive function of a mind trained to read code without syntax highlighting vs one reliant on it (like my own). It doesn't matter if you can solve this particular one. Nor does it change the fact that someone who is used to seeing monochrome code might view colored code as playful and/or childish (like seeing colored piano keys).
I wasn't trying to argue more than that one point: the stuff about `less` was just in case you didn't know about the alternatives. I have no argument with the third paragraph of your most recent comment.
I would argue that it makes sense to install any tools that would help you, in your development environment, and that it makes little sense to ship an entire OS in your Docker container, so you shouldn't be in a situation where you have `less` and no syntax highlighting – but I'd argue with a lot of aspects of Docker-driven development, and I've learned there's little point.
