Designing ASCII graphics with JavE
Make Your Mark
© Alexey Klementiev, 123RF
The free JavE ASCII editor lets you create diagrams, brighten email messages, write circuit diagrams, create cartoons, or just design ASCII art for pleasure.
As the name Java ASCII Versatile Editor, or JavE for short, suggests, this editor uses ASCII characters [1] instead of the lines, dots, and shapes you are familiar with in drawing tools like GIMP. With characters and letters of the alphabet, JavE creates graphic shapes and lines. This style of drawing is not only practical – for example, you can add a compact route sketch to an email message – over the years it has developed into a genuine art form known as "ASCII Art" [2].
JavE is the right tool if you are looking for an intuitive approach to designing professional and artistic ASCII-style graphics. To help you do so, the editor gives you a bunch of tools and features, including freehand drawing with the mouse, shapes, and brushes. In addition, you can export your efforts into various file and document formats, including GIF and HTML. The program also handles figlet fonts [3] and converts graphic formats to ASCII images. Besides this, it supports ROT13 encoding [4] and has a steganography feature for text [5]. To top it all off, the editor includes a collection of clipart templates and even lets you produce small cartoons.
Installation
The Java program is available on the project homepage as a ZIP archive [6]. JavE requires Java Runtime Environment version 1.6 or newer. At the command line, you can type java -version to find out which version you have.
[...]
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
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.
-
System76 Refreshes the Lemur Laptop
If you're looking for a laptop with tons of power and battery, look no further than the latest iteration of the System76 Lemur Pro.
-
More than 43 Million Lines of Code in Linux Kernel 7.2
Using the cloc utility, Michael Larabel of Phoronix discovered that Linux kernel 7.2 has over 43 million lines of code.
-
Kubuntu Focus Goes Ultra
The Kubuntu Focus team has upped the performance ante of its M2 and Zr laptops with the latest, greatest CPUs from Intel.
-
Linux Gamers May Soon See Less Mouse Lag in KDE Plasma
Gamers using KDE’s Plasma desktop have been suffering from a slight input delay in mouse movement that could lead to getting fragged.
-
Three Lines of Code Improve Linux Storage Performance
A developer changed three lines of code, giving Linux storage performance a 5% bump.
-
AUR Hit Again with Malicious Packages
Once again the Arch User Repository is plagued by a high volume of malicious packages.
-
Alpine Linux 3.24 Features Fresh Desktops and a Newer Kernel
If you're a fan of Alpine Linux, it's time to upgrade because the latest version has been released with KDE Plasma 6.6, Gnome 50, and Linux kernel 6.18 LTS.
-
EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
Comprehensive measures adopted by the European Commission aim to reduce dependency on non-EU countries.
-
Linux Foundation Report Indicates AI Driving Tech Hiring
Within growing security and skills gaps, AI has been found to be a positive driving force behind tech hiring trends in Europe.