Editing Files

Files that need to be changed are normally edited using one of the editors provided with the Bootable CD.

Micro Emacs (me)

Micro emacs is a very small version of the popular Emacs editor. It is the easiest to get started with and one of the most powerful in existence. Here are the basics:

me filename			edits the filename
Arrow keys			The arrow keys move the cursor
[backspace]			Delete the character to the left of the cursor
^X^S				save the file (hold control, press XS)
^C				exit (hold control, press C)

There are lots of other emacs commands. They can be viewed (within the editor) by typing:

[esc]xdescribe-bindings

Here is the list of default bindings of keys to functions where M- indicates the [esc] key:

Visual (vi)

Visual is important/good because it seems to be available in every unix variant ever delivered. Here are some examples:

vi filename		edit this file
i			go into 'insert' mode (type things in after that)
[esc]			escape from insert mode
:wq!			command (:) write (w) quit (q) forcefully(!)

For more help, try:

man vi

Pine Corrector (pico)

Pico is popular among many Linux users because of its onscreen help. To run it:

pico filename		edit the file
Arrow keys			The arrow keys move the cursor
[backspace]			Delete the character to the left of the cursor
^O				save the file (hold control, press O)
^X				exit (hold control, press X)

More details are available by typing:

man pico