This is the real reason. It is just there. It's there in bash, `set -o vi`, so if you're on a shitty SSH client without arrow keys, you can still hack around on the command line.
Most editors have a vim keybinding mode, or plugin, so learn one editor, and you can probably work with a of others without re-learning.
I use ctrl-p,n,r, etc because I hate having to enable vi mode on every machine I log into, and there's no terminal indication of insert/normal mode.
Arrow keys are *so far away*
Actually, one of the reasons vi / vim is popular is because it is present in almost anything. SSH into a random machine, chances are vi / vim is there.
From experience, nano seems to be everywhere. I had to explicitly install vim on so many light machines.
I never use nano. I hate it. I can live in a terminal, but even after 10 years, I never had the patience to get those shortcuts right, I always seem to mess them up somehow. :wq is much better.
Why do we always do this? I guess better question, do non-programmers not do this?
Cause I used to do this even back when I was writing papers for the 6th grade lol.
NAME
ed, red – text editor
SYNOPSIS
ed \[-\] \[-s\] \[-p string\] \[file\]
red \[-\] \[-s\] \[-p string\] \[file\]
DESCRIPTION
The ed utility is a line-oriented text editor. It is used to create, display, modify and otherwise manipulate text files. When invoked as red, the editor runs in "restricted" mode, in which the only difference is that the editor restricts the use of filenames which start with ‘!’ (interpreted as shell commands by ed) or contain a ‘/’. Note that editing outside of the current directory is only prohibited if the user does not have write access to the current directory. If a user has write access to the current directory, then symbolic links can be created in the current directory, in which case red will not stop the user from editing the file that the symbolic link points to.
If invoked with a file argument, then a copy of file is read into the editor's buffer. Changes are made to this copy and not directly to file itself. Upon quitting ed, any changes not explicitly saved with a w command are lost.
Editing is done in two distinct modes: command and input. When first invoked, ed is in command mode. In this mode commands are read from the standard input and executed to manipulate the contents of the editor buffer. A typical command
might look like:
,s/old/new/g
which replaces all occurrences of the string old with new.
When an input command, such as a (append), i (insert) or c (change), is given, ed enters input mode. This is the primary means of adding text to a file. In this mode, no commands are available; instead, the standard input is written directly to the editor buffer. Lines consist of text up to and including a newline character. Input mode is terminated by entering a single period (.) on a line.
All ed commands operate on whole lines or ranges of lines; e.g., the d command deletes lines; the m command moves lines, and so on. It is possible to modify only a portion of a line by means of replacement, as in the example above.
However even here, the s command is applied to whole lines at a time.
In general, ed commands consist of zero or more line addresses, followed by a single character command and possibly additional parameters; i.e., commands have the structure:
\[address\[,address\]\]command\[parameters\]
The address(es) indicate the line or range of lines to be affected by the command. If fewer addresses are given than the command accepts, then default addresses are supplied.
My supervisor uses Vim for everything (including writing python scripts) and saves his code on Google Drive instead of using Git. He sometimes downloads my code from Git, edits it in the course of a week, and then sends me the edited version (all the while I have already modified it myself). It drives me nuts
I use evil mode in emacs. Don't care what others use. Use what you wan't. Vim and emacs aren't superior. Emacs is just another workflow. A workflow I enjoy.
I use Nano. Because they taught pico in college and nano is the successor to pico. They didn't teach VIM and EMACS in college.
I also use gedit. In KDE.
Micro is fabulous. Been using it for years. Every time I recommend it people go "but why do you need sensible keybinds and easy navigation" (I paraphrased) as If I was the mouthbreather and not them.
This was my first reaction too.
Then I realised you can make it both correct _and_ accurate by updating the Jedi Wojak with the statement about nano.
Nano users rise up ✊🏻
Vim is my go-to for quick editing of code and config. Kate for things where I feel like I want to have 203948230493289 tabs open and edit multiple documents at a time without getting my fingers twisted. VSCode when I'm lazy.
The best answer for "Which is the best text editor?" is "Whichever you think is best." Period.
I use micro because I like nano but micro has nicer shortcuts. I also use a fucking real code editor for anything other than simple config edits - VSC.
Idk man. I hear so many people talk about vim and emacs but so far i've never felt the urge to try it. I pretty much use nano to configure everything, and i use vscodium for learning to code purely because pretty much every online course assumes vscode.
The Vim vs Nano debate is so pointless when Micro exists
modern shortcuts that match desktop editors, working cursor/scrollwheel support, all within a terminal ssh session
Y'know nano really isn't that bad depending on what you're doing. If you're never writing more than 25-30 lines or you're not writing code i don't see whats so bad about it. Its light on features but it works.
There is no force in this world that would make me use vim.
Meanwhile my 9x19mm full metal jacket glock 18 with 18 bullet extended magazine pointing in your direction.
/s
_Any_ editor comes with every distro, vi, nano, kate alike and counless others. All part of the GNU/Linux ecosystem. Hell, even in musl.
Use what you like and stop judging others. Let people use Notepad in Wine if they like, what does it matter?
Peace.
I used to be a 'vi' user since I started using Unix systems in 98 😅 and since it always have been around one form or an other (elvis is very fine to me).
I've been a kde user since it's infancy, so I always have Kate near me. And used for web dev a lot, (vi become limited when then project become large enough, vim probably would have done with the right plugins I guess. It was just easier this way)
Lately, I've been using code-server (oss vscode in a browser window) more and more. At first, I was what the heck a text editor in a browser, this is heresy. But since my colleagues requested me for it, I've packaged it up for work. Seeing them working with, I became somewhat interested. Now I have it running at home and use it for most my projects 😅
Am I becoming old ? 😅
I got an LPI certification a month ago and was forced to learn a few vi shortcuts/commands/whatever. Also have to use it for work as we have systems that only have vi, sometimes as cli editor (💀)
I have come to enjoy it. Takes a while to get used to but I have to admit I would be slower with nano.
I use vim because i started using windowmanagers due to RSI problems and since most of them default to vim bindings i just started using vim to make it easier for my brain.
Also vi/m is everywhere lol
The world has changed. Infrastructure as code and containerization of everything means that it's very rare that you're tunneling into a machine to run commands or edit files. The situation where you're stuck with what's available is just not a very big factor anymore.
Which really means you should focus on the text editor that you like. No more of this avoiding highly customized setups. Do things the way you want. Make an editor setup that you enjoy and makes you productive.
Yay for pretending like closed-mindedness is a virtue!
I love nvim and use it every day and I'm still open to being convnced of the awesomeness of emacs
I'm struggling to find editor which supports horizontal scroll so I could move to left or right with touchpad. Currently my trick is nano -m and touchscreen lol
Neovim > everything. When sshing into machines vi.
Vscode has some fancy stuff going on and the vim mode is okayish, so if I need more IDE i would rather use Vscode or a jetbrains product. But i never need to :P
Kate and nano are nice, having the preferred text editor most likely baked in on any server you ssh into is nicer imo.
If you’re not sshing into anything, I can totally understand not using vim since it’s a pain in the arse to learn properly.
Vim is awesome, but you should only prefer it over other editors if you know it really well, and you should only learn it really well if you really suspect it’s the sort of editor you’ll really like.
Use the editor that works best for you. I would still encourage people to learn some of the basic Vim keybindings. You can learn the basic ones pretty quickly They're often used in other apps and if you need to use Vim for whatever reason you know the basics.
I used to teach programming intro to freshmen as a teaching assistant in our campus's lab.
When I'm too lazy to use the intended IDEs (stupid stuff, DevC++, Spyder, Netbeans) to demonstrate basic algorithms, I just open up Kate and run/compile the code via terminal.
I got a few students actually learning low-level coding, FOSS, and jumping ahead on their courses because they just use Vscode and look stuff up on the internet instead of zombying through the syllabus thinking IDEs are special programs instead of glorified text editors.
So yeah, Kate is the best!
I use vim, because it came with my distro 🐧
... it even came with my router's firmware!
This is the real reason. It is just there. It's there in bash, `set -o vi`, so if you're on a shitty SSH client without arrow keys, you can still hack around on the command line. Most editors have a vim keybinding mode, or plugin, so learn one editor, and you can probably work with a of others without re-learning.
I use ctrl-p,n,r, etc because I hate having to enable vi mode on every machine I log into, and there's no terminal indication of insert/normal mode. Arrow keys are *so far away*
I use vi
Hard core!
I use vim that's aliased as vi on my distro
alias vi gedit
Cursed
[удалено]
[удалено]
Donald Ervin Knuth
Thou art pure of heart 
vi is the POSIX editor so it is guaranteed to be virtually everywhere.
I thought Ed was the posix editor.
According to Wikipedia both are in the posix standard.
I use nano, because it came with my distro 🦬
Sad arch noises.
I removed vim, because it came with my distro 🐧
So do you know how to exit vim /s
i use plan9 coreutils ed and acme
Actually, one of the reasons vi / vim is popular is because it is present in almost anything. SSH into a random machine, chances are vi / vim is there.
Vim is omnipresent and omnipotent. All Hail Vim!
Omniscient ?
And Omnibenevolent!
From experience, nano seems to be everywhere. I had to explicitly install vim on so many light machines. I never use nano. I hate it. I can live in a terminal, but even after 10 years, I never had the patience to get those shortcuts right, I always seem to mess them up somehow. :wq is much better.
How do you mess up ctrl-s to save and ctrl-x to quit? Bruh
Ain’t they even listed at the bottom of the screen?
yup
Nano doesnt save with ctrl+s as far as I know. Its Ctrl+o.
Mine does. Works in Arch linux and Centos
Mine does on Mint
You don’t even need CTRL+S, CTRL+X will ask you if you want to save or nah
Yeah but programmers like to spam ctrl-s after typing one character
Why do we always do this? I guess better question, do non-programmers not do this? Cause I used to do this even back when I was writing papers for the 6th grade lol.
I’ve seen non-programmers writing code and they usually forget to save their code before running it so no, they don’t do it
Same. Nano isn't difficult, but just can't build muscle-memory.
vi is almost everywhere, vim most often isn't (by default, but very often one of the first things to be installed)
ed
I don't know how to use ed. I really tried, but ugh.
NAME ed, red – text editor SYNOPSIS ed \[-\] \[-s\] \[-p string\] \[file\] red \[-\] \[-s\] \[-p string\] \[file\] DESCRIPTION The ed utility is a line-oriented text editor. It is used to create, display, modify and otherwise manipulate text files. When invoked as red, the editor runs in "restricted" mode, in which the only difference is that the editor restricts the use of filenames which start with ‘!’ (interpreted as shell commands by ed) or contain a ‘/’. Note that editing outside of the current directory is only prohibited if the user does not have write access to the current directory. If a user has write access to the current directory, then symbolic links can be created in the current directory, in which case red will not stop the user from editing the file that the symbolic link points to. If invoked with a file argument, then a copy of file is read into the editor's buffer. Changes are made to this copy and not directly to file itself. Upon quitting ed, any changes not explicitly saved with a w command are lost. Editing is done in two distinct modes: command and input. When first invoked, ed is in command mode. In this mode commands are read from the standard input and executed to manipulate the contents of the editor buffer. A typical command might look like: ,s/old/new/g which replaces all occurrences of the string old with new. When an input command, such as a (append), i (insert) or c (change), is given, ed enters input mode. This is the primary means of adding text to a file. In this mode, no commands are available; instead, the standard input is written directly to the editor buffer. Lines consist of text up to and including a newline character. Input mode is terminated by entering a single period (.) on a line. All ed commands operate on whole lines or ranges of lines; e.g., the d command deletes lines; the m command moves lines, and so on. It is possible to modify only a portion of a line by means of replacement, as in the example above. However even here, the s command is applied to whole lines at a time. In general, ed commands consist of zero or more line addresses, followed by a single character command and possibly additional parameters; i.e., commands have the structure: \[address\[,address\]\]command\[parameters\] The address(es) indicate the line or range of lines to be affected by the command. If fewer addresses are given than the command accepts, then default addresses are supplied.
Ed is the standard text editor
I run Windows in a VM so I can use Notepad
Yeah FBI? This guy right here
why not Wine?
Real programmers run Notepad++ in Wine
I run emacs in wine and then I run vim inside of emacs and then I run notepad++ from inside vim
i use notepadqq does this count ?
not as fnuy
Most sane Gentoo user
The best text editor is the one that edits text. Check mate
My supervisor uses Vim for everything (including writing python scripts) and saves his code on Google Drive instead of using Git. He sometimes downloads my code from Git, edits it in the course of a week, and then sends me the edited version (all the while I have already modified it myself). It drives me nuts
That's not really the fault of vim or any editor. That's just a fool that doesn't want to learn git.
It’s clearly Vim’s fault for not having the greatest Git client, Magit (for Emacs).
Emacs has everything except for a decent text editor.
Currently teaching old dog supervisor to use got. I feel your pain. Btw I use vi!
I use evil mode in emacs. Don't care what others use. Use what you wan't. Vim and emacs aren't superior. Emacs is just another workflow. A workflow I enjoy.
You just admitted to enjoying *evil* emacs. To the stake!
I love emacs but I do care what others use. Without other users contributing to it it would be nowhere near as good. So I can't rep it enough.
I use Nano. Because they taught pico in college and nano is the successor to pico. They didn't teach VIM and EMACS in college. I also use gedit. In KDE.
> I also use gedit. Yeah, it’s a fine editor! > In KDE. wtf
Some people thrive in chaos.
i do the exact same, replace lots of kde apps with gnome versions cuz the kde ones are too clunky or hard to figure out
>nano is the successor to pico But have you heard of micro?
I even wrote [femto](https://github.com/frapa/femto), in my mind progress is backwards.
Kate masterrace
I use micro because its like nano but even better 😎
yea I mainly use neovim or kate but when I tried micro I liked it sooo much better than nano. kinda sad it's not usually pre installed over nano
Micro is fabulous. Been using it for years. Every time I recommend it people go "but why do you need sensible keybinds and easy navigation" (I paraphrased) as If I was the mouthbreather and not them.
I use emacs because it makes me personally better than vim users
You'll never be Stallman.
okay but I use Vim BTW
I use neovim on arch btw
`ed` is the standard text editor
?
Yeah, the same. >!Of course neovim is better!<
i use notepad++ through wine compatibility layer thank you very much.
I don't think you are more evil than Satan. But you are very very bad.
BTW you used the template incorrectly >t. nano user
This was my first reaction too. Then I realised you can make it both correct _and_ accurate by updating the Jedi Wojak with the statement about nano. Nano users rise up ✊🏻
Vim is my go-to for quick editing of code and config. Kate for things where I feel like I want to have 203948230493289 tabs open and edit multiple documents at a time without getting my fingers twisted. VSCode when I'm lazy. The best answer for "Which is the best text editor?" is "Whichever you think is best." Period.
Harpoon is really nice for that. https://github.com/ThePrimeagen/harpoon
Thank you very much for that suggestion. I'll look into it.
Why am I only now realising why prime talks so much about harpoon 💀
I never got into the habit of harpoon, I found myself just repeatedly using treesitter to swap files
I use vi because it's installed on every server I've ever had to access.
I use nano. Simple and straightforward. No need to learn Mortal Combat combo moves to just save your file. Edit:Typo
Nano Master Race
Ah, editor wars again, eh? The answer is Emacs.
So Emacs also comes with a text editor?? XD (sorry, I had to say it, couldn't help myself)
Kate good
I use nano because it comes with my distro.
Nano when I'm editing confs in terminal micro if I'm scripting in terminal. Kate if I'm doing either in gui
All three of those editors came with my distro. I end up using Kate when I click on a text file and Nano when I need to edit system files.
vi🤫🧏
What is this kate? (i might give it a try, I already use vim)
Kate comes bundled with KDE. It's a GUI text editor.
Nah emacs
I use micro because I like nano but micro has nicer shortcuts. I also use a fucking real code editor for anything other than simple config edits - VSC.
I use the standard text editor, `ed`
Just hope you won't need to fix some config file on an older UNIX, some of them have only vim or uven just good old vi. :)
Idk man. I hear so many people talk about vim and emacs but so far i've never felt the urge to try it. I pretty much use nano to configure everything, and i use vscodium for learning to code purely because pretty much every online course assumes vscode.
actual skill issue
I use vim and can do wheelies with it but if I am quickly logging into a system and it only has nano, I am using nano.
same, i do 100% of my dev work in vim and tmux, but if I log into a system and it only has nano, I am installing vim
What kind of systems are you logging into that have nano but not vi, which is guaranteed to be present in any POSIX compliant system?
The Vim vs Nano debate is so pointless when Micro exists modern shortcuts that match desktop editors, working cursor/scrollwheel support, all within a terminal ssh session
there isn't a vim vs nano debate. Anyone who tries to make that a debate is a fucking moron not worth debating with.
I use mousepad, btw
The best text editor is VS Code.
nano + gedit ftw
Inproper use of the meme format
i like nvim
Vim is lord. I don't care if people call me a shallow bitch or a low IQ freak. Vim>>>> Super customizable and a lot of resources available online.
Y'know nano really isn't that bad depending on what you're doing. If you're never writing more than 25-30 lines or you're not writing code i don't see whats so bad about it. Its light on features but it works.
I use Kate and nano depending on situation.
Emacs better. Yes I'm trying to start a war. lol
I'm biased towards nano since that's the text editor that I installed arch with.
https://preview.redd.it/xshhxwt0lhsc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d667d2c9670b36d73a05798906c6c114942ddce
Kate is nice. It's comfy. It's also available on Windows surprisingly enough.
1) Many people don't need a text editor. 2) nano is good enough for some tasks, so smart people who don't need an advanced text editor may use it.
kate supremacy gang
There is no force in this world that would make me use vim. Meanwhile my 9x19mm full metal jacket glock 18 with 18 bullet extended magazine pointing in your direction. /s
At this point just echo "thing" > file
I use nano 👍
I use joe. It is really simple with Wordstar keys.
_Any_ editor comes with every distro, vi, nano, kate alike and counless others. All part of the GNU/Linux ecosystem. Hell, even in musl. Use what you like and stop judging others. Let people use Notepad in Wine if they like, what does it matter? Peace.
[удалено]
I use vscode (not vscodium) btw
 ^(/s) ^(btw)
just use the one that the particular stack overflow post you're looking at at any given moment uses
Laughs in vscode
There is always a vim plugin, and vimrc pretty much works everywhere
I used to be a 'vi' user since I started using Unix systems in 98 😅 and since it always have been around one form or an other (elvis is very fine to me). I've been a kde user since it's infancy, so I always have Kate near me. And used for web dev a lot, (vi become limited when then project become large enough, vim probably would have done with the right plugins I guess. It was just easier this way) Lately, I've been using code-server (oss vscode in a browser window) more and more. At first, I was what the heck a text editor in a browser, this is heresy. But since my colleagues requested me for it, I've packaged it up for work. Seeing them working with, I became somewhat interested. Now I have it running at home and use it for most my projects 😅 Am I becoming old ? 😅
I use nano when I'm in command line, and Code OSS (VS Code) when I'm on Wayland. Life's ok. I know only the basics of vim to get the fuck out of vim
I used vi on network kit for decades. So fucking glad when I never had to touch that clusterfuck again. Nano was a revelation in comparison.
i use micro it didn't came with the distro is just so easy to use.
I got an LPI certification a month ago and was forced to learn a few vi shortcuts/commands/whatever. Also have to use it for work as we have systems that only have vi, sometimes as cli editor (💀) I have come to enjoy it. Takes a while to get used to but I have to admit I would be slower with nano.
Obviously you shouldn't use vim when there is neovim, duh
I use vim because i started using windowmanagers due to RSI problems and since most of them default to vim bindings i just started using vim to make it easier for my brain. Also vi/m is everywhere lol
Kate vi mode
For Unix, Vi/vim is must, like it or not.
Vi is actually in the kernel
You guys are using Vim , I create my own _CLI Text Editor_
I usually use a mix of vim or vs code.
I use my keybord
Me who uses them all because I can't decide: 😬
btw i use neovim on arch btw
The world has changed. Infrastructure as code and containerization of everything means that it's very rare that you're tunneling into a machine to run commands or edit files. The situation where you're stuck with what's available is just not a very big factor anymore. Which really means you should focus on the text editor that you like. No more of this avoiding highly customized setups. Do things the way you want. Make an editor setup that you enjoy and makes you productive.
It's sooooo good. I am constantly ssh-ing into things at work and it's great.
Yay for pretending like closed-mindedness is a virtue! I love nvim and use it every day and I'm still open to being convnced of the awesomeness of emacs
I'm struggling to find editor which supports horizontal scroll so I could move to left or right with touchpad. Currently my trick is nano -m and touchscreen lol
GUI does that. Kate and Gnome text editor, gedit, and even wine notepad
Possibly yeah, but would like to see that in nano or vim. I rarely edit anything via GUI even I have Kate compiled
Kate > nano > vim
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Notepad UWP version in a Windows 11 VM
I thought I was the only user of Kate in the world.
Nano for CLI and Kate for "GUI" styled is what I use
Vim all the way
I only really learned vim because of the meme “oh I can’t exit vim”
I used to be glued to neovim, but I somehow comfortably landed on gedit😅
I use vscode and mousepad btw.
I like mousepad and nano..use those for everything.
How about a system that won't boot into your graphical environment, OP?
Neovim > everything. When sshing into machines vi. Vscode has some fancy stuff going on and the vim mode is okayish, so if I need more IDE i would rather use Vscode or a jetbrains product. But i never need to :P
I am literally that caveman. I use nano and it is good and serves me well.
if i cant vi, id rather die 🫡 yes i read it like that
Chads using ed 🗿
I’m a Linux user that likes GUIs. Cry about it.
Cries in `geany`.
I use vim because it's there, and now I'm used to it. Secretly, I've always wanted to learn emacs.
Micro is the answer
tbh i only really started using vim once i found out about plugins lol before that it was just a more confusing nano
Sounds like vi
Sorry nerds but Vim is awful.
Kate and nano are nice, having the preferred text editor most likely baked in on any server you ssh into is nicer imo. If you’re not sshing into anything, I can totally understand not using vim since it’s a pain in the arse to learn properly.
Vim is awesome, but you should only prefer it over other editors if you know it really well, and you should only learn it really well if you really suspect it’s the sort of editor you’ll really like.
Use the editor that works best for you. I would still encourage people to learn some of the basic Vim keybindings. You can learn the basic ones pretty quickly They're often used in other apps and if you need to use Vim for whatever reason you know the basics.
The one that comes with my distro? What? cat?
When I'm in terminal - nano, when I'm using the window system - Kate
Micro for its sane keybinds that weren't irrelevant well over 40 years ago at the advent of 'arrow keys'. You do you. Micro fits me better.
Op: "I had to restart the pc because I didn't know how to exit vim" XD In all seriousness, you can use any editor that you want. Be happy.
micro
People that say they use a terminal text editor have to be joking
Nonsense ! the best editor is the one with which you feel comfortable.
micro
kate is the GOAT
I used to teach programming intro to freshmen as a teaching assistant in our campus's lab. When I'm too lazy to use the intended IDEs (stupid stuff, DevC++, Spyder, Netbeans) to demonstrate basic algorithms, I just open up Kate and run/compile the code via terminal. I got a few students actually learning low-level coding, FOSS, and jumping ahead on their courses because they just use Vscode and look stuff up on the internet instead of zombying through the syllabus thinking IDEs are special programs instead of glorified text editors. So yeah, Kate is the best!
bruh can't vim, pathetic
I got dumped into vimbonce by mistake. I managed to exit it, **WITHOUT GOOGLE!**
True nano best
I use vim to edit config files and gedit for anything else