KodeKloud Notes

In this lesson, we'll compare two popular shell-based editors—GNU Nano and Emacs—and explore their features, keyboard shortcuts, and use cases. While Vi is powerful, Nano and Emacs can be more approachable for newcomers on Linux systems.

Why Choose GNU Nano?

GNU Nano is designed for simplicity: all input goes directly into the document, and commands use the Control (Ctrl) or Meta (Alt or Command on macOS) keys.

Key features of Nano include:

Undo and redo
Syntax coloring
Interactive search and replace
Auto-indentation
Line numbers
Word completion
File locking and backup files
Internationalization support

The image lists features of GNU Nano, including undo/redo, syntax coloring, interactive search-and-replace, auto-indentation, line numbers, word completion, file locking, backup files, and internationalization support.

Nano Keyboard Shortcuts

Most Nano commands appear at the bottom of the interface, but here are some essentials:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+6	Start selection
Meta+6	Copy selection
Ctrl+K	Cut selection
Ctrl+U	Paste
Meta+U	Undo
Meta+E	Redo
Ctrl+\	Replace text
Ctrl+T	Spell check current document

The image shows keyboard shortcuts for the Nano text editor, including commands for starting a new session, copying, cutting, and pasting selections.

The image shows keyboard shortcuts for the Nano text editor, including commands for undo, redo, replace text, and spell-check.

Tip

Press Ctrl+G at any time in Nano to open the Help menu. You can also customize Nano by editing your ~/.nanorc file.

Emacs: A Programmable Editor and IDE

Emacs is a highly extensible editor that can function as a full IDE, email client, news reader, or RSS client. Like Nano, typing inserts text directly, but uses more keyboard-driven navigation.

Core capabilities of Emacs include:

Syntax highlighting and indentation
Integrated compiling, running, and testing
Powerful undo/redo and version control integration
Extensible architecture via Emacs Lisp
Configuration as email, news, or RSS client

The image is a text description of Emacs, highlighting its features as a text editor, IDE, and its ability to be configured as an email, news, or RSS client.

Note

Emacs starts with emacs filename and provides built-in tutorials under Ctrl+h t. Explore packages via M-x package-list-packages.

Feature Comparison

Feature	GNU Nano	Emacs
Learning Curve	Very gentle	Steeper, keyboard-driven
Syntax Highlighting	Yes	Yes
Undo/Redo	Basic	Advanced (multi-level)
Extensibility	Limited (.nanorc tweaks)	Extensive (Emacs Lisp packages)
Built-in IDE Tools	Minimal	Compiler, debugger, REPLs
Customization	Moderate	Highly customizable

Links and References

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