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< title > The GNU nano editor FAQ< / title >
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< h1 >
< font color = "#CC0000" > The nano FAQ< / font > < / h1 >
< h2 >
< font color = "#330000" > Table of Contents< / font > < / h2 >
< h2 >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1" > 1. General< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.1" > 1.1 About this FAQ.< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.2" > 1.2. How do I contribute to it?< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.3" > 1.3. What is GNU nano?< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.4" > 1.4. What is the history behind
nano?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.5" > 1.5. Why the name change from
TIP?< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.6" > 1.6. What is the current version
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of nano?< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#1.7" > 1.7. I want to read the manpage
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without having to download the program!< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#2" > 2. Where to get GNU
nano< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
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< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#2.1" > 2.1. FTP and WWW sites
that carry nano.< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#2.2" > 2.2. Redhat and derivatives (.rpm)
packages.< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#2.3" > 2.3. Debian (.deb) packages.< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#2.4" > 2.4. By CVS (for the brave).< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3" > 3. Installation and Configuration< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.1" > 3.1. How do install the
RPM or DEB package?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.2" > 3.2. Compiling from source: WHAT
THE HECK DO I DO NOW?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.2" > 3.3. Why does everything go into
/usr/local?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.4" > 3.4. I get errors about 'bindtextdomain',
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'gettext' and/or 'gettextdomain'. What can I do about it?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.5" > 3.5. Nano should automatically
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run strip on the binary when installing it!< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.6" > 3.6. How can I make the
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executable smaller? This is too bloated!< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.7" > 3.7. Tell me more about this
multibuffer stuff!< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#3.8" > 3.8. How do I make a .nanorc file
that nano will read when I start it?< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4" > 4. Running< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.1" > 4.1. Ack! My backspace/delete/enter/double
bucky/meta key doesn't seem to work! What can I do?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.2" > 4.2. Nano crashes when I type
< insert keystroke here>!< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.3" > 4.3. Nano crashes when I resize
my window. How can I fix that?< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.4" > 4.4. Why does nano show ^\
in the shortcut list instead of ^J?< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.5" > 4.5. When I type in a
search string, the string I last searched for is already in front of
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my cursor! What happened?!< / a > < / font >
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< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.6" > 4.6. I get the message "NumLock
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glitch detected. Keypad will malfunction with NumLock off." What
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gives?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#4.7" > 4.7. How do I make nano my
default editor (in Pine, mutt, etc.)?< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#5" > 5. Internationalization< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#5.1" > 5.1. There's no translation
for my language!< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#5.2" > 5.2. I don't like the translation
for < x> in my language. How can I fix it?< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6" > 6. Advocacy and Licensing< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
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< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6.1" > 6.1. Why should I use
nano instead of Pico?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6.2" > 6.2. Why should I use Pico instead
of nano?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6.3" > 6.3. What is so bad about the
PINE license?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6.4" > 6.4. Okay, well what mail program
should I use then?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6.5" > 6.5. Why doesn't UW simply change
their license?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#6.6" > 6.6. What if tomorrow UW changes
the license to be truly Free Software?< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#7" > 7. Miscellaneous< / a > < / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#7.1" > 7.1. Nano related mailing
lists.< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#7.2" > 7.2. I want to send the development
team a big load of cash (or just a thank you).< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#7.3" > 7.3. How do I submit a patch?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#7.4" > 7.4. How do I join the development
team?< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < a href = "#7.5" > 7.5. Can I have CVS write access?< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a href = "#8" > 8. ChangeLog< / a > < / h2 >
< hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< br >
< h1 >
< a NAME = "1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1. General< / font > < / h1 >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "1.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.1 About this FAQ.< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > This FAQ was written and is maintained
by Chris Allegretta < < a href = "mailto:chrisa@asty.org" > chrisa@asty.org< / a > >,
who also happens to be the creator of nano. Maybe someone else
will volunteer to maintain this FAQ someday, who knows...< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "1.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.2. How do I contribute to it?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Your best bet is to send it to the nano
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email address, < a
href="mailto:nano@nano-editor.org">nano@nano-editor.org< / a > and if
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it is useful enough it will be included in future versions.< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
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< a NAME = "1.3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.3. What is GNU nano?< / font > < / h2 >
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< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > GNU Nano is designed to be a free
replacement for the Pico text editor, part of the PINE email suite from < a
href="http://www.washington.edu/pine">The University of
Washington< / a > . It aims to "emulate Pico as closely as possible and
perhaps include extra functionality.< / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "1.4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.4. What is the history behind
nano?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Funny you should ask!< / font >
< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > In the beginning...< / font > < / b >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > For years Pine was THE program used to read email
on a Unix system. The Pico text editor is the portion of the program
one would use to compose his or her mail messages. Many beginners
to Unix flocked to Pico and Pine because of their well organized, easy
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to use interfaces. With the proliferation of GNU/Linux in the mid to
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late 90's, many University students became intimately familiar with the
strengths (and weaknesses) of Pine and Pico.< / font >
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< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > Then came Debian...< / font > < / b >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > The < a href = "http://www.debian.org" > Debian GNU/Linux< / a >
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distribution, known for its strict standards in distributing truly "free"
software (i.e. had no restrictions on redistribution), would not include
a binary package for Pine or Pico. Many people had a serious dilemma:
they loved these programs, but they were not truly free software in the
< a href = "http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html" > GNU< / a >
sense of the word.< / font >
< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > The event...< / font > < / b >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > It was in late 1999 when Chris Allegretta (our
hero) was yet again complaining to himself about the less-than-perfect
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license Pico was distributed under, the 1000 makefiles that came with
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it and how just a few small improvements could make it the Best Editor
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in the World (TM). Having been a convert from Slackware to Debian,
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he missed having a simple binary package that included Pine and Pico, and
had grown tired of downloading them himself.< / font >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > Finally something snapped inside and Chris coded
and hacked like a madman for many hours straight one weekend to make a
(barely usable) Pico clone, at the time called TIP (Tip Isn't Pico).
The program could not be invoked without a filename, could not save files,
had no help menu, spell checker, and so forth. But over time it improved,
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and with the help of a few great coders it matured to the (hopefully) stable
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state it is today.
< p > < font color = "#330000" > In February 2001, nano has been declared an
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official GNU program by Richard Stallman. Nano also reached it's first
production release on March 22, 2001.< / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "1.5" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.5. Why the name change from TIP?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > On January 10, 2000, TIP was officially
renamed to nano because of a namespace conflict with another program called
'tip'. The original 'tip' program "establishes a full duplex terminal
connection to a remote host", and was included with many older Unix systems
(and newer ones like Solaris). The conflict was not noticed at first because
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there is no 'tip' utility included with most GNU/Linux distributions (where
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nano was developed).< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "1.6" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.6 What is the current version
of nano?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > The current version of nano *should*
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be 1.1.1. Of course you should always check the nano hompage to
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see what the latest and greatest version is.< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "1.7" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 1.7. I want to read the man page
without having to download the program!< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Jeez, demanding, aren't we?
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Okay, look < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org/dist/nano.1.html" > here< / a > .< / font > < / blockquote >
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< hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< h1 >
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< a NAME = "2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 2. Where to get GNU nano< / font > < / h1 >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "2.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 2.1. FTP and WWW sites that carry
nano.< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > The nano distribution can be downloaded
at the following fine web and ftp sites:< / font >
< ul >
< li >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org/dist" > http://www.nano-editor.org/dist< / a > < / font > < / li >
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< li >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.ewtoo.org/~astyanax/nano/dist" > http://www.ewtoo.org/~astyanax/nano/dist< / a > < / font > < / li >
< li >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "ftp://ftp.nano-editor.org/pub/nano" > ftp://ftp.nano-editor.org/pub/nano< / a > < / font > < / li >
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< / ul >
< / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "2.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 2.2. Redhat and derivatives (.rpm)
packages.< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote >
< ul >
< li >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org/dist/RPMS" > http://www.nano-editor.org/dist/RPMS< / a > < / font > < / li >
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< li >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.ewtoo.org/~astyanax/nano/dist/RPMS" > http://www.ewtoo.org/~astyanax/nano/dist/RPMS< / a > < / font > < / li >
< li >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "ftp://ftp.nano-editor.org/pub/nano/RPMS" > ftp://ftp.nano-editor.org/pub/nano/RPMS< / a > < / font > < / li >
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< / ul >
< font color = "#330000" > Additionally, check out the Redhat contribs section
at:< / font >
< ul >
< li >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/redhat/contrib/libc6/i386" > http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/redhat/contrib/libc6/i386< / a > < / font > < / li >
< li >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/redhat/contrib/libc6/i386" > ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/distributions/redhat/contrib/libc6/i386< / a > < / font > < / li >
< / ul >
< / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "2.3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 2.3. Debian (.deb) packages.< / font > < / h2 >
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< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > For Debian users, you can check out the
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current nano packages for:< / font >
< ul >
< li >
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< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.debian.org/Packages/stable/editors/nano.html" > stable< / a > < / font > < / li >
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< li >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.debian.org/Packages/testing/editors/nano.html" > testing< / a > < / font > < / li >
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< li >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "http://www.debian.org/Packages/unstable/editors/nano.html" > unstable< / a > < / font > < / li >
< / ul >
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< p > < font color = "#330000" > You can also have a look at the< / font >
< font color = "#330000" > < a href = "ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/pool/main/n/nano/" > Package Pool< / a > to see all the available binary and source packages.< / font > < / p >
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< font color = "#330000" > Note that versions < 0.9.10 are probably not for
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those wanting to get serious work done, so if you are using Debian 2.2, check
that you have updated to 2.2r3, which comes with nano 0.9.23. If you're
tracking unstable, you probably have the newest version already.< / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "2.4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 2.4. By CVS (for the brave).< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > For the 'bleeding edge' current version
of nano, you can use CVS to download the current source code. < b > Note:< / b >
believe it or not, by downloading code that has not yet stabilized into
an official release, there could quite possibly be bugs, in fact the code
may not even compile! Anyway, see < a href = "https://sourceforge.net/cvs/?group_id=1304" > the
nano CVS page< / a > for info on anonymous CVS access to the nano source.< / font > < / blockquote >
< hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< h1 >
< a NAME = "3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 3. Installation and Configuration< / font > < / h1 >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 3.1. How do install the RPM or
DEB package?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > It's simple really! As root, type
< b > rpm
-Uvh nano-x.y.z-1.i386.rpm< / b > if you have a Redhat-ish system or
< b > dpkg
-i nano_x.y.z-1.deb< / b > if you have a Debian-ish system, where
< b > x.y.z< / b >
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is the release of nano. There are other programs to install packages,
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and if you wish to use those, knock yourself out.< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 3.2. Compiling from source: WHAT
THE HECK DO I DO NOW?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Okay, take a deep breath, this really
isn't hard. Unpack the nano source with a command like:< / font >
< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > tar -zxvf nano-x.y.z.tar.gz< / font > < / b >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > If you get error messages about the -z option,
try this:< / font >
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< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > gzip -dc nano-x.y.z.tar.gz | tar xvf -< / font > < / b >
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< p > < font color = "#330000" > (again, where x.y.z is the version number in question).
Then you need to run configure with any options you might want (if any).< / font >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > The average case is this:< / font >
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< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > cd nano-x.y.z/< / font > < / b >
< br > < b > < font color = "#330000" > ./configure< / font > < / b >
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< br > < b > < font color = "#330000" > make< / font > < / b >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > < b > make install < / b > (as root, of course)< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 3.3. Why does everything go into
/usr/local?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Well, that's what the < b > configure< / b >
script defaults to. If you wish to change this, simply do this:< / font >
< p > < b > < font color = "#330000" > ./configure --prefix=/usr< / font > < / b >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > to put nano into /usr/bin when you run < b > make
install< / b > .< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 3.4. I get errors about 'bindtextdomain',
'gettext' and/or 'gettextdomain'. What can I do about it?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Try doing a < b > ./configure --with-included-gettext< / b >
and see if that solves your problem. You make need to do a < b > make
clean ; make< / b > to get it to work fully.< / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.5" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 3.5. Nano should automatically
run strip on the binary when installing it!< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Actually, it does, but you have to use
< b > make install-strip< / b > . The default make install does not, and will
not, run strip automatically.< / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.6" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" >
3.6. How can I make the executable smaller? This is too
bloated!< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Actually, there are several parts of the
editor that can be disabled. You can pass arguments to the
< b > configure< / b > script that disable certain features. Here's a brief
list:
< pre >
< b > --disable-tabcomp< / b > Disables tab completion code for a smaller binary
< b > --disable-justify< / b > Disable justify/unjustify function
< b > --disable-speller< / b > Disables spell checker function
< b > --disable-help< / b > Disables help function (^G)
< b > --disable-browser< / b > Disables mini file browser
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< b > --disable-wrapping< / b > Disables all wrapping of text (and -w flag)
< b > --disable-mouse< / b > Disables mouse support (and -m flag)
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< b > --disable-operatingdir< / b > Disable setting of operating directory
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< / pre > < br >
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There's also the < b > --enable-tiny< / b > option which disables everything
2001-01-09 20:40:56 +03:00
above, as well as some larger chunks of the program (like the marker code
that you use Control-^ to select with). Also, if you know you aren't
going to be using other languages you can use < b > --disable-nls< / b > to
disable internationalization and save a few K to a few dozen K depending
on if you have locale support on your system. And finally there's always
good old < b > strip< / b > to strip all debugging code and code that exists in
libraries on your system.
2001-10-02 22:21:55 +04:00
< p > If, in the other hand, you can't live without bells and whistles, you could
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
try:
< pre >
< b > --enable-extra< / b > Enable extra functions, including easter eggs
< b > --enable-nanorc< / b > Enable use of .nanorc file
< b > --enable-color< / b > Enables color and syntax highlighting
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< b > --enable-multibuffer< / b > Enables having multiple file buffers open
< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.7" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" >
3.7. Tell me more about this multibuffer stuff!< / font > < / h2 >
2001-10-02 22:21:55 +04:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > To use multiple file buffers, you must
be using nano 1.1.1 or newer, and you must have configured nano with
< b > --enable-multibuffer< / b > or < b > --enable-extra< / b > (use nano -V to check).
Then when you want to enable inserting a file into its own buffer instead of
into the current file, just hit < b > Meta-F< / b > , then insert the file as normal
with < b > ^R< / b > . If you always want files to be loaded into their own buffers,
2001-07-15 20:07:23 +04:00
use the < b > --multibuffer< / b > or < b > -F< / b > flag when you invoke nano. < P >
2001-10-02 22:21:55 +04:00
You can move between the buffers you have open with the < b > Meta-< < / b > and
< b > Meta-> < / b > keys, or more easily with < b > Meta-,< / b > and < b > Meta-.< / b >
(clear as mud, right? =-). When you have more than one file buffer open,
the ^X shortcut will say "Close", instead of the normal "Exit" when only one
buffer is open.
2001-07-15 20:07:23 +04:00
< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "3.8" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" >
3.8. How do I make a .nanorc file that nano will read when I start it?< / font > < / h2 >
2001-10-02 22:21:55 +04:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > It's not hard at all! But, your version
of nano must have beem compiled with < b > --enable-nanorc< / b > , and again must
be version 1.1.1 or newer (use nano -V to check your version and compiled
features). Then simply copy the < b > nanorc.sample< / b >
that came with the nano source or your nano package (most likely in
/usr/doc/nano) to .nanorc in your home directory. If you didn't get one,
the syntax is simple. Flags are turned on and off by using the word
< b > set< / b > and the getopt_long flag for the feature, for example "set
2001-07-15 20:07:23 +04:00
pico" or "set nowrap". < / font > < / blockquote > < hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< h1 > < a NAME = "4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 4. Running< / font > < / h1 >
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "4.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 4.1. Ack! My backspace/delete/enter/double
bucky/meta key doesn't seem to work! What can I do?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Try setting your $TERM variable to 'vt100'.
Nano doesn't yet support every term entry under the sun.< / font >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > Bourne shell users (like bash): < b > export TERM=vt100< / b > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > C Shell users (tcsh and csh): < b > setenv TERM
vt100< / b > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "4.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 4.2. Nano crashes when I type < insert
keystroke here>!< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > If you aren't trying some bizarre keystroke
combination with some bizarre $TERM entry, chances are you have found a
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
bug. You are welcome to submit it to the
< a href = "mailto:nano-devel@lists.sourceforge.net" > nano-devel< / a > list or
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to < a href = "mailto:nano@nano-editor.org" > nano@nano-editor.org< / a > .< / font > < / blockquote >
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
< h2 >
< a NAME = "4.3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 4.3. Nano crashes when I resize
my window. How can I fix that?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Older versions of nano had this problem,
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please upgrade to a newer version (at least 0.9.9 would be great, 0.9.12
is recommended).< / font > < / blockquote >
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< h2 >
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
< a NAME = "4.4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 4.4. Why does nano show ^\ in the
shortcut list instead of ^J?< / font > < / h2 >
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > The help (^G) and justify (^J) function
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were among the last to be written. To show the improvements that
nano had over Pico (goto line # and replace), ^_ and ^\ were put on the
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
shortcut list. Later, ^G came back in place of ^_ as it proved
to be very valuable for new UNIX users. If you use the < b > -p< / b > option to
nano (or hit Meta-P) you will get the same shortcuts at the bottom as
Pico.< / font > < / blockquote >
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
< h2 >
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< a name = "4.5" > < font color = "#330000" > 4.5. When I type in a search
string, the string I last searched for is already in front of my
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
cursor! What happened?!< / font > < / h2 >
2000-11-18 22:04:32 +03:00
2000-12-09 06:34:12 +03:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > In nano version 0.9.20, the default is
2000-11-18 22:04:32 +03:00
to have a completely consistent user interface across all user input
functions. This means that regardless of whether you're being asked for
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a filename to insert or write, or a string to search for, the
previous value is already inserted before the cursor. If you prefer the
old behavior, use the pico emulation mode (-p or --pico) or just hit
Meta-P while in nano (see the ^G help text for more
details).< / font > < / blockquote >
2000-11-18 22:04:32 +03:00
< h2 >
2001-01-14 06:17:53 +03:00
< a NAME = "4.6" > < / a > I get the message "NumLock glitch detected. Keypad
2001-01-15 23:25:24 +03:00
will malfunction with NumLock off." What gives?< / h2 >
2001-01-14 06:17:53 +03:00
< blockquote >
Nano (actually almost all console editors do) has issues when cycling
the NumLock key in certain X terminals (rxvt, aterm, wterm, etc...). When
you switch NumLock on to off, you put the terminal into an "application
mode" that changes what sequences are sent by the keypad. These sequences
vary sufficiently from terminal to terminal that it is nearly impossible
to work around them from within nano.
< br > < br >
In a nutshell, if you want to be able to use the keypad with the arrow and
page up/down functionality, you have to exit nano and reset your terminal
(presumably with "reset" or "stty sane" or similar) and then run nano
again with NumLock off. If you know an easier way to restore "normal
2001-02-07 01:21:25 +03:00
mode", please mail < A href = "mailto:nano@nano-editor.org" > nano@nano-editor.org< / A > .
2001-01-14 06:17:53 +03:00
< br > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "4.7" > < / a > 4.7. How do I make nano my default editor (in Pine,
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mutt, etc)?< / h2 >
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< blockquote > You need to make nano your $EDITOR. If you want this
to be saved, you should put a line like this in your < b > .bashrc< / b > if
2001-10-02 22:21:55 +04:00
you use bash (or < b > .zshrc< / b > if you believe in zsh):
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< p > < b > export EDITOR=/usr/local/bin/nano< / b >
< p > or if you use tcsh put this in your < b > .cshrc< / b > file:
< p > < b > setenv EDITOR /usr/local/bin/nano< / b >
< p > Change /usr/local/bin/nano to wherever nano is installed in your system.
Type which nano to find out. This will not take effect until the next time
you login. So log out and back in again.
< p > Then on top that if you use Pine you must go into setup (type < b > S< / b >
at the main menu), then configure (type < b > C< / b > ). Hit enter on the
lines that say:
< p > < b > [ ] enable-alternate-editor-cmd< / b >
< br > < b > [ ] enable-alternate-editor-implicitly< / b >
< p > Then exit (< b > E< / b > ) and select Yes (< b > Y< / b > ).
< p > Mutt users should see an effect immediately the next time you log in,
no further configuration is needed. However, if you want to let people
know you use nano to compose your email messages, you can put a line like
this in your < b > .muttrc< / b > :
< p > < b > my_hdr X-Composer: nano x.y.z< / b >
< p > Again, replace x.y.z with the version of nano you use.
< br > < / blockquote >
< hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< h1 >
< a NAME = "5" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 5. Internationalization< / font > < / h1 >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "5.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 5.1. There's no translation for
my language!< / font > < / h2 >
2001-10-02 23:13:03 +04:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > On June of 2001, GNU nano entered the
< a href = "www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML" > Free Translation Project< / a >
and since then, translations should be managed from there.
< p > If there isn't a translation for your language, you could ask
< a href = "http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/teams.html" > your language
team< / a > to tranlate nano, or better still, join your team and do it yourself.
Joining a team is easy. You just need to ask the
< a href = "mailto:translation@iro.umontreal.ca" > TP coordinator< / a > to add you
to your team, and send a < a href = "http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/contrib/po/HTML/disclaim.html" > translation disclaimer to the FSF< / a > (this is necessary as
nano is an official GNU package, but it does < strong > not< / strong > mean that
you transfer the rights of your work to the FSF, it's just so the FSF can
legaly manage them).< / p >
< p > In any case, translating nano is very easy. Just grab the
< b > nano.pot< / b > file from the latest and greatest nano distribution
(it's in the < b > po/< / b > directory) and translate each line into your native
language on the < b > msgstr< / b > line. When you're done, you should
send it to the TP's central po repository.
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< h2 >
< a NAME = "5.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 5.2. I don't like the translation
for < x> in my language. How can I fix it?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > The best way would probably be to e-mail
2001-10-02 23:13:03 +04:00
the person listed in the < code > Last-Translator:< / code > field in
< b > < your_language> .po< / b > file with your suggested corrections and
they can make the changes reach the nano devel list.< / font > < / blockquote >
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< hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< h1 >
< a NAME = "6" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6. Advocacy and Licensing< / font > < / h1 >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "6.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6.1. Why should I use nano instead
of Pico?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > There are many reasons to use nano instead
2001-03-26 19:35:34 +04:00
of Pico, a more complete list can be found at the < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org" > nano
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
homepage< / a > .< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "6.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6.2. Why should I use Pico instead
of nano?< / font > < / h2 >
2000-09-27 07:16:11 +04:00
< blockquote > Again, check out the < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org" > nano
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
homepage< / a > for a good summary of reasons. It really is a matter
of personal preference as to which editor you should use. If you're
the type of person who likes using the original version of a program, then
Pico is the editor for you. If you're looking for a few more
features and a 'better' license as far as adding your own changes (sacrificing
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
mailer integration with Pine), nano is the way to go.
2001-02-17 05:42:03 +03:00
< / blockquote >
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
< h2 >
< a NAME = "6.3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6.3. What is so bad about the PINE
license?< / font > < / h2 >
2001-02-17 05:42:03 +03:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > The U of W license for Pine and
Pico is not considered truly Free Software according to both the Free
Software Foundation and the the < a
href="http://www.debian.org/social_contract#guidelines">Debian
Free Software Guidelines< / a > . The main problem regards the
limitations on distributing derived works: according to UW, you can
distribute their software, and you can modfify it, but you can not do
both, i.e. distribute modified binaries.< / blockquote >
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
< h2 >
< a NAME = "6.4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6.4. Okay, well what mail program
should I use then?< / font > < / h2 >
2001-02-17 05:42:03 +03:00
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > If you are looking to use a Free
2001-05-05 21:45:54 +04:00
Software program similar to PINE and emacs is not your thing, you should
2001-02-17 05:42:03 +03:00
definitely take a look at < a href = "http://www.mutt.org" > mutt< / a > . It
is a full-screen, console based mail program that actually has a lot more
flexibility than Pine, but has a keymap included in the distribution that
allows you to use the same keystrokes as Pine would to send and receive
mail. It's also licensed under the GPL.< / font > < / blockquote >
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
< h2 >
< a NAME = "6.5" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6.5. Why doesn't UW simply change
their license?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > You're really not asking the right person
2000-08-16 06:52:44 +04:00
here. I (Chris) waited a long time to see if UW would change their
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
license because of the amount of high quality software being released and
developed under the GPL without being taken advantage of by malicious corporate
entities or other baddies, but no such luck so far.< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "6.6" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 6.6. What if tomorrow UW changes
the license to be truly Free Software?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Honestly nothing would make me happier
than to see that happen. Nano would continue to be developed independently
until such time as Pico had all the features nano did or the projects merged.
That just does not seem very likely given that there has been no sign of
any changes in the past few years in a positive direction.< / font > < / blockquote >
< hr WIDTH = "100%" >
< h1 >
< a NAME = "7" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 7. Miscellaneous< / font > < / h1 >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "7.1" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 7.1. Nano related mailing lists.< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > There are two mailing lists for nano
hosted at < a href = "http://www.sourceforge.net" > SourceForge< / a > , nano-announce
and nano-devel. Nano-announce is a very low traffic list where new
2000-12-20 01:58:00 +03:00
versions of nano are announced (surprise!) Nano-devel is a normally
2001-05-02 21:18:17 +04:00
low, sometimes high traffic list for discussing the present and future
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
development of nano. Here are links to where you can sign up for
a given list:< / font > < font color = "#330000" > < / font >
< p > < font color = "#330000" > nano-announce - < a href = "http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/nano-announce" > http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/nano-announce< / a > < / font >
< br > < font color = "#330000" > nano-devel - < a href = "http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/nano-devel" > http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/nano-devel< / a > < / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "7.2" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 7.2. I want to send the development
team a big load of cash (or just a thank you).< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > That's fine. Send it < a href = "mailto:nano-devel@lists.sourceforge.net" > our
2000-09-27 07:16:11 +04:00
way< / a > ! Better yet, fix a < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org/dist/BUGS" > bug< / a >
in the program or implement a < a href = "http://www.nano-editor.org/dist/TODO" > cool
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
feature< / a > and send us that instead (though cash is fine too).< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "7.3" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 7.3. How do I submit a patch?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > See Section < a href = "#7.2" > 7.2< / a > .< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "7.4" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 7.4. How do I join the development
team?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > The easiest way is to consistently send
in good patches that add some needed functionality, fix a bug or two and/or
make the program more optimized/efficient. Then ask nicely and you
will probably be added to the SourceForge development list and be given
CVS write after awhile. There is a lot of responsibility that goes
along with being a team member, so don't think it's just something to add
to your resume.< / font > < / blockquote >
< h2 >
< a NAME = "7.5" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 7.5. Can I have CVS write access?< / font > < / h2 >
< blockquote > < font color = "#330000" > Re-read Section < / font > < a href = "#7.4" > 7.4< / a > < font color = "#330000" >
and you should know the answer.< / font > < / blockquote >
2001-10-02 23:13:03 +04:00
< h2 >
< a NAME = "8" > < / a > < font color = "#330000" > 8. ChangeLog< / font >
< / h2 >
< blockquote > 2001/10/02 - Update for Free Translation Project.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/10/02 - Assorted fixes, Debian additions.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/06/30 - Silly typo fix.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/05/05 - Spelling fixes by David Lawrence Ramsey.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/05/02 - Misc fixes.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/03/26 - Typo fix in an URL.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/02/17 - Advocacy updates.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/02/15 - Added GNU notes for 0.9.99pre3.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/02/06 - Typo fixes.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/01/14 - Added note about numlock glitch.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/01/10 - Linux --> GNU/Linux.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2001/01/09 - Added "making exe smaller section.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2000/12/19 - Typo and assorted error fixes.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2000/11/28 - Added blurb about make install-strip.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2000/11/19 - Changed Debian frozen to stable.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2000/11/18 - Previous string display (4.5).< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2000/09/27 - Moved addresses to nano-editor.org.< / blockquote >
< blockquote > 2000/06/31 - Initial framework.< / blockquote >
2000-08-07 06:16:24 +04:00
< P >
$Id$
2000-07-23 20:09:33 +04:00
< / body >
< / html >
