Nano - The text editor of the GNU project

Dec 3, 2022 · 1 min read · editor tui  ·
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Nano is one of the most popular terminal-based text editors. It focuses on simplicity and user-friendliness, without sacrificing functionality.

The distinguishing characteristic of Nano is the default presence of a help bar in the bottom part of the main window, which reports the most commonly used functions (open, exit, save, etc.).

The latest versions of Nano brought the editor on par with other alternatives regarding the typical features that can be expected by a terminal-based editor, such as syntax highligthing, rebinding of keys, and mouse support.

The program has plenty of options for customization, with possibility to set and unset many of the default characteristics of the editor. W.r.t. more complex alternatives, such as Vim and Emacs, Nano does not feature an internal language for scripting.

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