unix diff side-to-side results?

From man diff, you can use -y to do side-by-side.

-y, --side-by-side
       output in two columns

Hence, say:

diff -y /tmp/test1  /tmp/test2

Test

$ cat a                $ cat b
hello                  hello
my name                my name
is me                  is you

Let's compare them:

$ diff -y a b
hello                                                           hello
my name                                                         my name
is me                                                         | is you

diff -y --suppress-common-lines file1 file2

From icdiff's homepage:

Your terminal can display color, but most diff tools don't make good use of it. By highlighting changes, icdiff can show you the differences between similar files without getting in the way. This is especially helpful for identifying and understanding small changes within existing lines.

Instead of trying to be a diff replacement for all circumstances, the goal of icdiff is to be a tool you can reach for to get a better picture of what changed when it's not immediately obvious from diff.

IMHO, its output is much more readable than diff -y.

You can use:

sdiff  file1 file2

or

diff -y file1 file2

or

vimdiff file1 file2

for side by side display.

You should have sdiff for side-by-side merge of file differences. Take a read of man sdiff for the full story.