Dear Mr. Davidson, I just received an email from and tried implementing his advice on columns. I have received messages from Mr. Sascha Steinbiss, the maintainer for icdiff, and Mr. Jeff Kaufman, the original creator. Copies of my emails have been sent you too.
My system's screen accommodated upto 170 columns. icdiff --cols=170 file1.txt file2.txt | less -R So this should rest the case, with your permission. Best wishes, Rajib Etc.