Editing files

There are many text editors that can be used in Linux and Unix systems command line. Two of the most popular ones are nano and vim.

Nano

Nano is a simple, user-friendly text editor ideal for quick edits. It’s designed to be easy to use, especially for beginners. It provides an intuitive interface with on-screen shortcuts and basic text editing functions like cut, copy, paste.

Basic usage:

Open/create a file: nano filename
Edit text directly
Save: Ctrl+O
Exit: Ctrl+X

Vim

Vim (Vi IMproved) is a highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing. It has more powerful features than Nano but has a steeper learning curve. Vim uses a dual mode editing interface (normal and insert) that allow powerful search and replace capabilities.

Basic usage:

Open/create a file: vim filename
Enter insert mode: Press i
Exit insert mode: Press Esc
Save: :w in normal mode
Exit: :q in normal mode
Save and exit: :wq in normal mode

Exercise

Make a copy of GDS3716.soft and remove the header of the new file with nano or vim.