Linux Text Editor

linktoinsanity

linktoinsanity

linktoinsanity

Don
Joined
5 Oct 2008
Posts
8,989
Location
Kent
Hi guys,

I'm having a play around with command line Linux, and lots of guides on doing stuff tells you to edit config files, however I don't like Vi, which is the only command line text editor I remember. It at least used to list all the commands you can do with it along the bottom, but it does not appear to do so anymore.

So, any easy to use text editors out there? preferably as simple as Notepad is in Windows? (without the GUI obviously).

Thanks.
 
I started out with nano but I will tell you what I was told: It may be difficult to begin with but if you plan on using Linux a lot it will always be worth the effort learning vi and vim.

It took me about a week to become comfortable using it and about a year to become proficent and it still amazes me how quickly some people can use it, I learn some new trick almost every other day. Once you get to grips with things like:
A = move to end of line and enter insert mode
cw(change word) = delete a word and enter insert mode
dd = delete line
yy = (yank)copy line
[number]G = move to line [number]
G = go to the end of the file
gg = go to the start of a file
etc etc
You will start to wonder why people still think it is good to use a mouse in a text editor and how Ctrl short cuts became popular. They are so inefficient!

The best advice I can give to get started is, once you have installed vim (if it is not installed as standard), to run 'vimtutor' from the command line. This will open a file in vim that teaches you the basic commands. Its takes about 30 minutes to work your way through the tutorial but it is so so worth it and it will put you in a good position to begin your vi/vim adventure!
 
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Obligatory "use emacs" post. Emacs is great. Roughly no learning curve as it behaves like nano does if you don't know any shortcuts.

Vim is probably great too, but I haven't learned how to use it.
 
JonJ678 said:
Obligatory "use emacs" post. Emacs is great. Roughly no learning curve as it behaves like nano does if you don't know any shortcuts.

Vim is probably great too, but I haven't learned how to use it.
Click to expand...

The shortcuts on emacs aren't quite as beginner-friendly, and nano at least shows you what the commands for load/save/exit at the bottom. I'd recommend nano for starting out over vi or emacs.
 
Seeing as OP did ask for a TUI editor things like GEdit etc are out of the question. That basically brings it down to three: nano, vim, emacs. There are others but no one really uses JOE or Zile or Vile or any of that nonsense.

In simple terms, nano is for scrubnubs, its the editor people usually start with in Linux.

The other two then...source of many a massive flame war but broadly it comes down to this:
Vim is modal. Type the worng thing in the worng mode and god only knows what you might do.
Emacs is good for finger yoga. If you have the hands of a concert pianist then you will probably be just about comfortable using emacs.

Also emacs is total bloatware used by weirdos that think that putting an OS in a text editor in an OS is a good idea...but then I am a Vim user so I would say that.



Bill Joy > Richard Stallman :p
 
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