Vim/neovim if you are willing to take the time to learn how to use / config it.
Micro otherwise, very sensible keybinds and ux that map to modern gui apps, though it doesn't come installed in most distro unlike ed and nano.
this post was submitted on 02 May 2026
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Nano and I've actually started using Helix which I like a lot. It's keybinds make more sense to me than vim.
Vim is worth learning minimally because it is so common, but U am team nano because I have enough info in my brain and I don't edit text files in the terminal enough to make it worth remembering how to properly use vim
I used Neovim for a couple of years and then switched to Emacs. I love it.
nano
VIM Learnt it in my first semester and use it ever since.
Team vim! Learned it five or six years ago, and never looked back. I've also got vim motions enabled for my shell, in the browser (firefox with vimium), and in my window manager (sway).
Helix, it's a better vim
Nano is the easiest most straightforward to use, and it's what I always use. I have nvim setup and I really believe it is better but I have had 20 years using nano and I really struggle forcing myself to switch and get used to it as it's so completely different.
Whatever is installed i dont care tbh.
Once you configure nano with a ~/.nanorc file, it becomes a lot more like micro/helix without having to install anything on new systems. I just curl my config and I'm good. I have Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, 2 space tabs, mouse scrolling +selection, syntax highlighting, etc. There's a lot you can do in there, and that's not to mention plugins.
Nano because It happens to be what I learned first and I don't get enough of a chance to use my computer anymore to even try anything else
Emacs → Vim → Neovim → Helix
When I ran a trivia bot on irc back in the day, I used to use sed to edit question files. But mostly use nano now. I don’t do anything all day and COULD learn vim/emacs/something else. But I cbf
Was staunchly team vim for 15 years, but now I'm on helix. As another user stated below, its like if vim were re-designed today, and without needing any addons to be a code-aware editor.
Kate 👀
Neovim for terminal but often I use kate for gui because I still don't find vim commands more efficient
neovim through nvf on NixOS. I'm not even a power user, I just had a shit mouse in college and didn't want to use it and now I'm hundreds of lines of Lua too deep to go back. This is my life now.
Ed when i need to get into a server and i have no clue whats running.
Nano when i know whats running and i cant install things.
Vim when i can install things.
At wprk we use vscode wnd jetbrains products but they are omly ok. I still like vim more.
Exporting $EDITOR instead. Also, i don't use sudo; too much for desktop, too insecure for server.
I was just now years old when I learned that mg (AKA MicroGnuEmacs) comes with OpenBSD & MacOS.