title: VI :set list vs. cat -A
body: <p>I have two identical files it appears but they are of different sizes. This leads me to the thought that there are special characters within the file i.e ^M</p>
  
  <p>In VI</p>
  
  <pre><code>:set list
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Doesn't show the ^M characters but</p>
  
  <pre><code>cat -A
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>does show the characters. </p>
  
  <p>In addition, VI shows the special ^M characters only when they happen at the end of a line.</p>
  
  <p>What gives?</p>