If you are new to text editing in the Linux environment, nano is a great option for you. In this guide, we will walk you through the basics of using nano and its features.
To start using nano, simply open your terminal and type nano <filename> to open a file in the editor.
One of the great things about nano is that you can directly start typing characters into the file without worrying about different modes or settings. This makes it very beginner-friendly compared to other editors.
To quit nano without making any changes, simply press ctrl-X. If you have made changes to the file, nano will prompt you for confirmation before exiting. You can choose to save your changes or discard them.
To make your editing experience easier, nano provides a helpful bottom bar that displays keyboard commands to perform various actions. This feature comes in handy when you need to navigate, search, or perform other operations on your file.
It’s important to note that nano is the GNU version of pico, which was not originally open source. The creation of nano was aimed at meeting the open source requirements of the GNU operating system.
By following these simple steps, you can quickly get started with nano and start editing your files efficiently.