With older Linux servers, the command:
ls -al
would output text that would have the filenames all lined up in the same column (the owner and group names were truncated to produce a uniform right column).
In newer distros (i.e. RHEL 3), the command will push the right column out when owners and groups have longer names, making the output "messy" and harder to read in long directory lists.
Does anyone know a way to get ls -al to output results with the right column list of filenames all left justified?