Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GNU nano VS Micro

Compare GNU nano VS Micro and see what are their differences

GNU nano logo GNU nano

GNU nano is a small and friendly text editor.

Micro logo Micro

Modern terminal-based text editor
  • GNU nano Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20
  • Micro Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-12-16

GNU nano features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    GNU nano is designed to be easy for beginners to use, with on-screen prompts and an intuitive layout.
  • Lightweight
    It is a lightweight text editor that runs efficiently on most systems, consuming minimal system resources.
  • Pre-installed on Many Systems
    GNU nano often comes pre-installed on many UNIX-like systems including many distributions of Linux, making it readily available.
  • Basic Yet Sufficient Features
    While it does not have the extensive features of some other editors, it includes enough functionality for basic editing tasks such as search/replace and spell checking.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts Displayed
    The bottom two lines of the screen display important keyboard shortcuts, which makes it easier for users to find commands.

Possible disadvantages of GNU nano

  • Limited Functionality
    Compared to other editors like Vim or Emacs, GNU nano provides fewer advanced features and customization options.
  • Not Ideal for Large Projects
    For large codebases or projects, it may not be as efficient or productive compared to more feature-rich editors.
  • Basic UI
    The User Interface is very basic and text-based, which might not appeal to users looking for a more modern or graphical interface.
  • Limited Extensibility
    There are limited options for extending or adding plugins to GNU nano, unlike editors such as Emacs or VSCode.
  • Less Efficient for Power Users
    Power users who are proficient in editors with advanced functionalities (like Vim's powerful text manipulation commands) may find nano less efficient for their workflows.

Micro features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Micro provides an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate even for beginners, making it accessible for new users.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Micro is available on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring compatibility across various platforms.
  • Lightweight
    The editor is lightweight and fast, which contributes to a smooth and responsive user experience without consuming significant system resources.
  • Plugin System
    Micro supports plugins, allowing users to extend the editor's functionality to suit their specific needs.
  • Built-in Terminal
    It includes a built-in terminal that enables users to execute commands without leaving the editor environment.
  • Syntax Highlighting
    Micro provides syntax highlighting for many programming languages, enhancing code readability.

Possible disadvantages of Micro

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more established editors like VSCode or Sublime Text, Micro may lack some advanced features and integrations.
  • Less Community Support
    The user community around Micro is smaller compared to that of other text editors, which may result in fewer available resources like plugins, themes, or tutorials.
  • Infrequent Updates
    Updates and new features may be released less frequently, as it is not as widely maintained as more mainstream editors.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Use
    While basic operations are straightforward, some advanced features and customizations may require a learning curve.
  • Limited Built-in Features
    Although plugins can extend its functionality, out of the box, Micro may not have all the built-in features that other editors offer.

GNU nano videos

No GNU nano videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Micro videos

Microeconomics- Everything You Need to Know

More videos:

  • Review - MICROeconomics 19 Minute Review
  • Review - Game Gear Micro Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU nano and Micro)
Text Editors
34 34%
66% 66
Software Development
48 48%
52% 52
IDE
38 38%
62% 62
IDEs And Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Micro seems to be a lot more popular than GNU nano. While we know about 80 links to Micro, we've tracked only 1 mention of GNU nano. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU nano mentions (1)

  • Inspired by a meme made by u/Craz_64
    GNU nano is a text editor for Unix-like computing systems or operating environments using a command line interface. It emulates the Pico text editor, part of the Pine email client, and also provides additional functionality. Unlike Pico, nano is licensed under the GNU General Public License. Source: almost 4 years ago

Micro mentions (80)

  • Trying out Zed after more than a decade of Vim/Neovim
    Check out micro: https://micro-editor.github.io/ It's a terminal editor with mouse support and sane key bindings. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Notepad++ is 21 years old
    Micro editor (https://micro-editor.github.io/) works best for me but it's terminal-based. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • In your opinion, what is the text-editor equivalent of Openbox?
    Simple yet customizable? My thoughts go to Sublime Text if you want a GUI editor and closed-source is OK, or Micro if you want a TUI editor that is open source: https://micro-editor.github.io/ Like OpenBox, most casual users can be dropped in and know their way around their interfaces, and both options are kinda lightweight compared to other modern options. There is power available for serious customization if you... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • GNU Nano 8 comes with modern key bindings
    This is great! I used to install micro[0] as "nano with better shortcuts", but it was always a bit of an overkill, so I'm really happy with this change. One quirk that remains: even with --modernbindings, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+C will add to nano's clipboard, instead of replacing whatever is there. [0] https://micro-editor.github.io. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Modeless Vim
    Is Micro[0] not a better, more purpose-fit solution to these issues? (Syntax highlighting quality, etc) Prev discussed: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37171294. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU nano and Micro, you can also consider the following products

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Vis - A vi-like editor based on Plan 9's structural regular expressions.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Neovim - Vim's rebirth for the 21st century

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing