--- ps/global.c
+++ ps/global.c	2009-11-17 16:59:38.279430039 +0000
@@ -139,8 +139,12 @@ static void set_screen_size(void){
   screen_cols = ws.ws_col;  // hmmm, NetBSD subtracts 1
   screen_rows = ws.ws_row;
 
-  // TODO: delete this line
-  if(!isatty(STDOUT_FILENO)) screen_cols = OUTBUF_SIZE;
+  // override COLUMNS setting if not a tty
+  if(!isatty(STDOUT_FILENO)){
+    screen_cols = OUTBUF_SIZE;
+    screen_rows = OUTBUF_SIZE;
+    if (personality&PER_UNIX_COLS) return; // SysV/UNIX98 based personality
+  }
 
   columns = getenv("COLUMNS");
   if(columns && *columns){
@@ -286,6 +290,7 @@ static const char *set_personality(void)
     return NULL;
 
   case_aix:
+    personality |= PER_UNIX_COLS;
     bsd_j_format = "FB_j";
     bsd_l_format = "FB_l";
     /* bsd_s_format not used */
@@ -313,6 +318,7 @@ static const char *set_personality(void)
 
   case_sunos4:
     personality = PER_NO_DEFAULT_g;
+    personality |= PER_UNIX_COLS;
     prefer_bsd_defaults = 1;
     bsd_j_format = "FB_j";
     bsd_l_format = "FB_l";
@@ -337,12 +343,14 @@ static const char *set_personality(void)
   case_hp:
   case_hpux:
     personality = PER_BROKEN_o | PER_HPUX_x;
+    personality |= PER_UNIX_COLS;
     return NULL;
 
   case_svr4:
   case_sysv:
   case_sco:
     personality = PER_BROKEN_o | PER_SVR4_x;
+    personality |= PER_UNIX_COLS;
     return NULL;
 
   case_posix:
@@ -351,6 +359,7 @@ static const char *set_personality(void)
   case_unix98:
   case_unix:
     personality = PER_BROKEN_o;
+    personality |= PER_UNIX_COLS;
     return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -361,8 +370,8 @@ void reset_global(void){
   double uptime_secs;
   reset_selection_list();
   look_up_our_self(&p);
-  set_screen_size();
   set_personality();
+  set_screen_size();
   
   all_processes         = 0;
   bsd_c_option          = 0;