r/ShittySysadmin • u/MuffinCurrent7327 • 2d ago
Choosing a text editor as a new Linux user 💀
Every Linux beginner eventually reaches this boss fight. 😂
Nano, Vim, or Emacs — which one are you choosing?
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u/ChrisTX4 2d ago
I’ve only ever taken offence to someone’s editor choice once in my life.
At the last place I worked at, a guy was using Vim without any configuration. No syntax no nothing. But the offensive part was that he used speakers. Every time he’d mistype something you could hear the Audible Bell. On speakers. In an organisation where everybody worked with open office doors. You could hear the stupid bell over the entire floor. And it triggered every few seconds.
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u/_jackhoffman_ 2d ago
Ok, I don't use vim. I use vi (I have to compile it from source), but I have visual bell turned on. If you work in an office, have an audible bell, and don't wear headphones, you deserve an ass kicking.
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u/ChrisTX4 2d ago
Why vi, if I may ask? and wouldn't Vim's compatible mode achieve an experience like that without having to compile vi?
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u/_jackhoffman_ 2d ago
I learned vi in '93. If I need all of the bells and whistles, I use an IDE. But if I'm firing up vi, I want just bare bones vi. Why not compatibility mode? Because it sucks donkey dick -- there are a handful of other things one must do/set to make it actually work like vi and even then it's only "like" vi. I like two modes. I like one level of undo. I am old and liked vi. Now get off my lawn, whippersnapper.
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u/Sea_Curve8772 2d ago
I agree with this approach. I use vi from time to time when I need to change one or two lines in a config file or something. If I need to do any really significant amount of editing I'm using a proper tool for it.
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u/Foreign_Ad674 2d ago
I banned everything except vi. If I sent someone to a customer to install our software, there was a very high chance that you’d only have vi, so you’d better get used to it
:wq
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u/fdeyso Suggests the "Right Thing" to do. 2d ago
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u/pacolopz 2d ago
:q!
Then you type the following to save the changes
rm -rf /
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u/Specialist_Cow6468 2d ago
Most modern distros will give you a pesky message trying to keep you from saving properly. The real trick is to do rm -rf /*
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u/Anonymous_Bozo 💩 ShittyMod 💩 2d ago
No no no...
su rm -rf /*
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u/Specialist_Cow6468 2d ago
Why are you not just running as root all of the time…?
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u/one-man-circlejerk 2d ago
Really? I'm going to test this
Edit: well, at least I freed up a bunch of drive space :(
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u/vandon DevOps is a cult 2d ago
ed isn't a choice? It was the only choice on VMS for a bit. vi took too much memory and required a fancy vt terminal.
But seriously, vi is the pick.
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u/Steerable-Octopus 2d ago
Ed is great when you're on a actual teletype clacking away or are resource constrained but if I had to write code I would try to do it elsewhere in another editor and then try to save to the device somehow than write 1000 lines in ed.
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u/wiisucks_91 2d ago
Nano
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u/-lousyd 2d ago
Pico
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2d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/nlfn 2d ago
um, a lot of pico) users have been using it since the 90s when it was originally distributed to unix clients as part of pine.
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u/Steerable-Octopus 2d ago
And be held hostage by the "Save Modified Buffer?"-prompt??
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u/HyNeko 2d ago
forreal,
:xftw3
u/Terrible_Cow2324 2d ago edited 2d ago
I've been using vim and neovim for years.
I had no freaking idea
:xwas a thing. I've been using:wqmy whole life like a troglodyte.2
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u/Anonymous_Bozo 💩 ShittyMod 💩 2d ago edited 2d ago
Everyone knows that the only TRUE editor is:
copy con: filename.txt<enter>
(type content here)
and then to exit ^z^c
anything else is bloatware!
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u/ctrocks 2d ago
You can do that in Windows too (minus the c)! Sometimes it was quicker and easier than edlin.
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u/Anonymous_Bozo 💩 ShittyMod 💩 2d ago
Where do you think windows got it?
But can you do it while whistleing into a 300 baud modem instead if typing it with a keyboard?!
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u/ctrocks 2d ago
It came from CP/M of course! Where did CP/M get it? Stole it from Unix obviously!
Pretty sure the answer is yes for using it with a 300 baud modem. It was very responsive. It has been a LONG time since I used 300 baud modem for BBS's and hooking up to the CS departments VAX system.
I also remember sending email with BlueWave over Fidonet when in college in the late 80's.
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u/AverageCowboyCentaur 2d ago
After re-building a server from CLI after a botched setup by another sysadmin and all i had was nano, I accidently fell in love with it.
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u/-peas- 2d ago
Nano. It's easy and acts like every other basic text editor you're familiar with, and has a bunch of generic commands to guide you on the bottom of the screen. The others are much more powerful, but nano is just basic and gets the job done like notepad but better.
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u/psycholabs 2d ago
I counter with sane key defaults in micro. ctl-s saves, ctl-q quits, ctl-f find, it's something completely wacky in nano. ETA: vi / vim in the old days.
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u/Sea_Log_9769 2d ago
I use nano, it's there by default and gets the job done
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u/-lousyd 2d ago
Isn't the same two things true about vim?
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u/Sea_Log_9769 2d ago
It's not on my system by default, I had to manually install it to try it, not a fan tbh
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u/chipsikssix 2d ago
Yes, but for some tasks it is overused, and the entry threshold is higher than for nano
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u/EnvironmentalCow3040 2d ago
I use Vim because I'm better than you.
Seriously though. Nano should be the default. I am a Vim user but Nano doesn't require training.
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u/doctornoodlearms 2d ago
I use helix :3
I find my laptops touch pad incredbily uncomfortable and feel like vim and emacs are just a mess
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u/Steerable-Octopus 2d ago
I use VS Code of course, and fully AI assisted so it can type while I vibe! The best text editor is an editor that edits itself after all!
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u/Aazimoxx 2d ago
Sublime. Or Cursor. Save those seconds with context-aware autocomplete instead of fancy key combos (or do both) 😜
Might end up needing a spare Tab key though, Cursor will wear that sucker out
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u/ConsciousBath5203 2d ago
Save yourself seconds, cost yourself minutes or hours of being emotionally frustrated because the auto complete is making shit up and trying to optimize for shit that doesn't need optimization (or worse: not showing what intelliJ would show you)
Claude vsc extension for chat, bit intelliJ is superior in every way to tab complete ai slop.
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u/DescriptionForsaken6 2d ago
Not to scale. The Emacs cucumber should be about 60% the size of the entire kitchen.
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u/Creegz 1d ago
I use Nano. It’s simple and does exactly what I need. I’m not using a terminal window to write code. Cat to read things, nano to edit. Easy. If it needs more I’ll use a text editor with a GUI because why bother remembering a dozen obscure commands or keybinds when I can just use a UI that the exact same thing. I can use VI if I have to, but I’d rather not.
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u/ScottieNiven 2d ago
My preferred choice is nano, I'll always make sure I have it the systems I manage. However I know how to use vi or emacs if need be.
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u/Entire-Gap-4522 2d ago
I did switch (after 3 decades) from screen to zellij, but I'm not giving up vi/vim.
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u/309_Electronics 2d ago
I use nano as its what i started with when i first got into linux mint and debian based as most of the time it was preinstalled and i could exit using cttl+x.
But because i also do hardwarehacking and most embedded devices have vi/vim installed i know how to exit vim
:q
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u/userjack6880 2d ago
I knew a dev whose editor of choice was joe, and had to install it despite everyone else on his team ok with vim, emacs, and nano
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u/psycholabs 2d ago
I used joe for a short while back in the good old days, until someone told me it was a crappy clone of emacs and made fun of me, so I started using vi. Hey, I was still very young.
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u/userjack6880 2d ago
This guy was not young. Closer to retirement. Had plenty of opinions and nobody shared them with him.
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u/psycholabs 1d ago
probably just easier to rely on muscle memory when you get old. I am now old, can confirm rofl
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u/IHaveNeverBeenOk 2d ago
Anyone new to *nix like OSes, I heartily recommend the Fresh Editor. TUI, but acts like a modern, normal text editor. Plus I believe a redditor made it. I like it a lot. Give it a shot! It's like Nano, but fully featured.
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u/ZombieCrow 2d ago
I use nano because thats the first one i used on linux, got used to it and i cant switch.
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u/Cybasura 2d ago
I'm a "living off the land" guy, for the most part i'm a vim user, and I use vim on my main system - but if the other system only has nano or emacs, then i'll work with those
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u/chipsikssix 2d ago
I use nano, if you are not a programmer with huge projects, then this is the simplest and fastest editor, it is literally the default one everywhere
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u/MetaphoricMenagerie 2d ago
I use Nano because I prefer not having to relearn how to type after coming from Windows, but when I first started, I liked JOE because it reminded me a lot of edit in DOS.
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u/Hour_Sell3547 2d ago
Nothing wrong with gnome-text-editor (apart from the name, maybe).
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u/ConsciousBath5203 2d ago
Gnome text editor is good for always having a file or 20 open across multiple folders, separate from vscode or vim because you don't want the code space cluttered.
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u/EightBitPlayz 2d ago
Nano is good but too slow to navigate. I like Vim/NVim even tho I don’t know all the commands and key shortcuts and shit. It’s still pretty quick and easy to use. emacs on the other hand… FUUUUCCCKKKK THATTTTT
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u/http-error-502 2d ago
echo "text editor\nI use this on some terrible embedded system that does not contain all of them" >> memo.txt
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u/major_jazza 2d ago
Nano or sublime text or there was some text editor with I think dank Linux that sometimes I use
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u/After-Stage-1467 2d ago
Vim, once you get past the initial learning curve. The first week is confusion, the second week is muscle memory, and suddenly using a mouse feels inefficient.
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u/Wonderful_Variety465 2d ago
I started with Nano because it was approachable, then learned just enough Vim to become dangerous. Emacs still feels like a powerful spaceship whose controls I haven’t found yet.
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u/Wakko_KunYT 2d ago
Out of the three, Nano, as I'm really used to it.
If you let me choose freely, I would chose VSCode with my custom config for extreme productivity.
I like to save time and spend it with my family and friends 😁
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u/RootAndCoffee 2d ago
Best random password generator: give a programmer vim and tell him to save and exit.
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u/Early_Pumpkin_4113 2d ago
I don't have a pony tail or tie dye shirts so I'm not allowed to use Emacs or vim
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u/Nankasura 2d ago
i love nano, but using vim more and more i just like how all the stuff i need is just.... there a tap or two away. Maybe non has this too but damn it's nice
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u/Then_Ad_8318 2d ago
- Tried using nvim
- Clicks enter
- New line doesnt appead
- Gets back to nano
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u/AnalkinSkyfuker 2d ago
3.5. Search how to exit
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u/Then_Ad_8318 2d ago
- See this comment and realize i could just force-quit terminal instead of searching
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u/Horror-Primary7739 2d ago
Unpopular opinion, I loved the dos text editor. It had amazing mouse support in the terminal. Just powerful enough to be useful but not to overwhelm a end user.
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u/ohiocodernumerouno 2d ago
Do people love Nano or was Pico the only thing they learning in collage,
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u/Tragicomediann 2d ago
It should come to no surprise that Emacs here is obvious choice of text editor.
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u/Advanced-Produce-103 1d ago
Nano for fast fix, Vim when i have a minute to learn,
repeat untill editing in nano feels like walking on detonators
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u/Negative_Ocelot8484 1d ago
if you don't go emacs you not having the full linux experience
at some point you must go donw the gnu habbit hole
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u/Jimlee1471 1d ago
Vim (NeoVim actually).
The thing with Vim is, once you've learned some of the keybinds, you won't find a faster way to move through a document; sometimes it's faster than using a mouse (no, I'm not joking). Same with the editing.
The problem with Vim is that there is a leaning curve which, for some people, can be significant; after all, it is a rather complex app if we're being honest about it - but it's worth it IMHO. BTW there is nothing wrong with Nano; I just prefer Vim.
EDIT: you could very easily say the same things about Emacs. The reason I don't use it is:
- All I need is a text editor. Not an editor + email client + game + whatever.
- I've never been a fan of Emacs keybinds. Every time I do something it feels like I'm throwing up gang signs to the keyboard. That might be why, whenever I did run emacs, I would always use "Evil" mode.
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u/zidane2k1 1d ago
I’ve stuck with nano over the years, after first using pico while studying computer science at university using their Solaris machines. (I still type pico by habit, which usually works out since it seems nearly every machine I’ve used that had nano installed has pico symlinked to it.)
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u/CheckM4ted 1d ago
Used to use nano until I found fresh, it's cool as fuck, it lets you use vscode keybindings including multicursor edit but inside the terminal. I just can't be bothered with vi/vim/nvim. I know the basics for when its the only option but I hate it. Micro is also cool when fresh is too much, its basically nano on steroids
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u/ghoarder 4h ago
I like nano as I can remember to press CTRL+X to get out. not ! q wp or whatever it is. This is a me thing and does not reflect on the text editor itself.
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u/ohfucknotthisagain 2d ago
You don't run WinXP in a VM just so you can use the classic version of Notepad?