Compare two files under windows and linux

I often find myself in a need to compare two files for several reasons like

- listing out differences between them.
- comparing HTML / XML files for structural changes.
- folder comparison.
- finding differences between two versions of same file, source code etc.

So, I just came across this magical utility called WinMerge.



It is an Open Source differencing and merging tool for Windows. It can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and handle.

Features

In addition, WinMerge has many helpful supporting features that make comparing, synchronising, and merging as easy and useful as possible:

• General
  
  • Supports Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008
  • Handles Windows, Unix and Mac text file formats
  • Unicode support
  • Tabbed interface
• File Compare
  
  • Visual differencing and merging of text files
  • Flexible editor with syntax highlighting, line numbers and word-wrap
  • Highlights differences inside lines
  • Difference pane shows current difference in two vertical panes
  • Location pane shows map of files compared
  • Moved lines detection
• Folder Compare
  
  • Regular Expression based file filters allow excluding and including items
  • Fast compare using file sizes and dates
  • Compares one folder or includes all subfolders
  • Can show folder compare results in a tree-style view
• Version Control
  
  • Creates patch files (Normal-, Context- and Unified formats)
  • Resolve conflict files
  • Rudimentary Visual SourceSafe and Rational ClearCase integration
• Other
  
  • Shell Integration (supports 64-bit Windows versions)
  • Archive file support using 7-Zip
  • Plugin support
  • Localizable interface
  • Online manual and installed HTML Help manual

Link : http://winmerge.org/