Editing text at the command line with micro
Linux users are spoiled for choice when it comes to many types of software. That's especially true for text editors. When I first started writing this article, I tried to count as many editors as I could just off the top of my head. I stopped when I got to around 32.
Quite a few of those editors run at the command line. While I've used several, I've never had great relationships with command-line text editors. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's just we don't have enough in common with each other to form a strong bond. Recently, though, I was working with a command-line application that played better with terminal text editors than with graphical ones. So, I duly set my default editor to the venerable GNU nano editor, which was the only terminal editor installed on my computer. While I've used nano in the past, I was quickly reminded that it isn't for me.
Instead of using software I don't particularly like, I searched around for an alternative and came across micro [1]. Billed as "a modern and intuitive terminal-based text editor," micro turned out to be great substitute for nano. In this article, I look at how any Linux user, regardless of their level of comfort with the command line, can start using micro and configure it to meet their needs.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.