While Vim and Emacs are powerful, their steep learning curves make them poor choices when guiding new users remotely. Imagine walking someone through :wq or C-x C-s over the phone - it's a recipe for frustration.

Here are the most accessible terminal editors for Unix-like systems:

1. Nano - The Default Safe Choice

Pre-installed on most distros, Nano shows all essential commands at the bottom:

# Launch nano
nano filename.txt

# Common operations (visible in UI):
# ^O - Save
# ^X - Exit
# ^G - Help

2. Micro - Modern Alternative

A newer editor with intuitive shortcuts similar to graphical editors:

# Install via package manager
sudo apt install micro  # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install micro  # Fedora

# Key features:
# Ctrl+S - Save
# Ctrl+Q - Quit
# Ctrl+C - Copy (familiar GUI behavior)

3. Joe - WordStar-like Interface

Offers multiple modes including a beginner-friendly mode:

# Start in 'jstar' mode (simplified)
joe -jstar document.md

# Basic commands:
# Ctrl+K H - Help
# Ctrl+K X - Save and exit

When helping someone remotely:

• Always verify which editors are installed: which nano micro joe
• For maximum compatibility, assume Nano is available
• Prepare a cheat sheet of 5 essential commands

Editor	Install Command	Save	Exit	Help
Nano	(usually preinstalled)	Ctrl+O	Ctrl+X	Ctrl+G
Micro	sudo apt install micro	Ctrl+S	Ctrl+Q	Ctrl+H
Joe	sudo apt install joe	Ctrl+K X	Ctrl+K X	Ctrl+K H

For frequent remote assistance, configure Nano with more visible shortcuts:

# ~/.nanorc example
set constantshow
set smooth
set tabstospaces
set autoindent

---

While Vim and Emacs are powerful editors, they have steep learning curves that can frustrate beginners. When helping someone remotely, you need an editor with:

• Intuitive keyboard shortcuts
• On-screen help
• Simple navigation
• Minimal configuration

Here are the most practical terminal-based editors for Unix/Linux beginners:

1. Nano - The Default Simple Editor

Nano comes pre-installed on most distributions and shows all basic commands at the bottom:

# Basic nano commands:
^O - Save (Write Out)
^X - Exit
^G - Help
^W - Search
^K - Cut line
^U - Paste

2. Micro - Modern Alternative

Micro offers mouse support and more intuitive shortcuts:

# Install micro:
curl https://getmic.ro | bash

# Common shortcuts:
Ctrl+S - Save
Ctrl+Q - Quit
Ctrl+F - Find
Ctrl+A - Select all

3. Joe - WordStar-like Interface

Joe provides multiple modes with familiar word processor shortcuts:

# Start joe with:
joe filename.txt

# Main commands:
Ctrl+K+H - Help
Ctrl+K+X - Save and exit
Ctrl+K+C - Copy
Ctrl+K+V - Paste

Imagine walking someone through editing a config file:

$ nano /etc/network/interfaces
[Now user sees the interface with help at bottom]
"Press Ctrl+O to save, then Enter to confirm filename"
"Press Ctrl+X to exit"

Editor	Learning Curve	Help Visibility	Mouse Support
Nano	Very Low	Always visible	No
Micro	Low	Accessible	Yes
Joe	Medium	Needs shortcut	No

To make life easier for beginners, set their default editor:

# For bash users:
echo "export EDITOR=nano" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# For system-wide default:
sudo update-alternatives --config editor