1.1 About this FAQ. ++ +
1.2. How do I contribute to it? +
1.3. What is nano? +
1.4. What is the history behind +nano? +
1.5. Why the name change from +TIP? +
1.6 What is the current version +of nano? +
1.7. I want to read the man page +without having to download the program!
2.1. FTP and WWW sites +that carry nano. ++ +
2.2. Redhat and derivatives (.rpm) +packages. +
2.3. Debian (.deb) packages. +
2.4. By CVS (for the brave).
3.1. How do install the +RPM or DEB package? ++ +
3.2. Compiling from source: WHAT +THE HECK DO I DO NOW? +
3.3. Why does everything go into +/usr/local? +
3.4. I get errors about 'bindtextdomain', +'gettext' and/or 'gettextdomain'. What can I do about it?
4.1. Ack! My backspace/delete/enter/double +bucky/meta key doesn't seem to work! What can I do? ++ +
4.2. Nano crashes when I type +<insert keystroke here>! +
4.3. Nano crashes when I resize +my window. How can I fix that? +
4.4. Why does nano show ^\ and +^_ in the shortcut list instead of ^G and ^J? +
4.5 How do I make nano my default editor (in Pine, mutt, +etc.)?
5.1. There's no translation +for my language! ++ +
5.2. I don't like the translation +for <x> in my language. How can I fix it?
6.1. Why should I use +nano instead of Pico? ++ +
6.2. Why should I use Pico instead +of nano? +
6.3. What is so bad about the +PINE license? +
6.4. Okay, well what mail program +should I use then? +
6.5. Why doesn't UW simply change +their license? +
6.6. What if tomorrow UW changes +the license to be truly Free Software?
7.1. Nano related mailing +lists. ++ +
7.2. I want to send the development +team a big load of cash (or just a thank you). +
7.3. How do I submit a patch? +
7.4. How do I join the development +team? +
7.5. Can I have CVS write access?
This FAQ was written and is maintained +by Chris Allegretta <chrisa@asty.org>, +who also happens to be the creator of nano. Maybe someone else +will volunteer to maintain this FAQ someday, who knows...+ +
Your best bet is to send it to the nano +email address, nano@asty.org and if +it is useful enough it will be included in future versions.+ +
Nano is designed to be a free replacement +for the Pico text editor, part of the PINE email suite from The +University of Washington. It aims to "emulate Pico as closely +as possible and perhaps include extra functionality WITHOUT breaking compatibility +with Pico.+ +
Funny you should ask! ++ +In the beginning... +
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 +to use interfaces. With the proliferation of Linux in the mid to +late 90's, many University students became intimately familiar with the +strengths (and weaknesses) of Pine and Pico. +
Then came debian... +
The debian GNU/Linux +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 +GNU +sense of the word. +
The event... +
It was in late 1999 when Chris Allegretta (our +hero) was yet again complaining to himself about the less-than-perfect +license Pico was distributed under, the 10000 makefiles that came with +it and how just a few small improvements could make it the Best Editor +in the World (TM). Having been a convert from Slackware to debian, +he missed having a simple binary package that included Pine and Pico, and +had grown tired of downloading them himself. +
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, +and with the help of a few great coders it matured to the almost stable +state it is today.
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 +there is no 'tip' utility included with most Linux distributions (where +nano was developed).+ +
The current version of nano *should* +be 0.9.12. Of course you should always check the nano hompage to +see what the latest and greatest version is.+ +
Jeez, demanding, aren't we? +Okay, look here.+ +
The nano distribution can be downloaded +at the following fine web and ftp sites: + ++ +
+ +Additionally, check out the Redhat contribs section +at: + ++ +
For debian users, you can check out the +current nano packages for: + +Note that versions < 0.9.10 are probably not for +those wanting to get serious work done, so until the frozen/stable distributions +have an updated version of nano, you are best off using the one in unstable +for now.+ +
For the 'bleeding edge' current version +of nano, you can use CVS to download the current source code. Note: +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 the +nano CVS page for info on anonymous CVS access to the nano source.+ +
It's simple really! As root, type +rpm +-Uvh nano-x.y.z-1.i386.rpm if you have a Redhat-ish system or +dpkg +-i nano_x.y.z-1.deb if you have a Debian-ish system, where +x.y.z +is the release of nano. There are other programs to install programs, +and if you wish to use those, knock yourself out.+ +
Okay, take a deep breath, this really +isn't hard. Unpack the nano source with a command like: ++ +tar -zxvf nano-x.y.z.tar.gz +
If you get error messages about the -z option, +try this: +
gunzip -d nano-x.y.z.tar.gz | tar xvf - +
(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). +
The average case is this: +
./configure +
make +
make install (as root, of course)
Well, that's what the configure +script defaults to. If you wish to change this, simply do this: ++ +./configure --prefix=/usr +
to put nano into /usr/bin when you run make +install.
Try doing a ./configure --with-included-gettext +and see if that solves your problem. You make need to do a make +clean ; make to get it to work fully.+ +
Try setting your $TERM variable to 'vt100'. +Nano doesn't yet support every term entry under the sun. ++ +Bourne shell users (like bash): export TERM=vt100 +
C Shell users (tcsh and csh): setenv TERM +vt100
If you aren't trying some bizarre keystroke +combination with some bizarre $TERM entry, chances are you have found a +bug. You are welcome to submit it to the nano-devel list or +to nano@asty.org.+ +
Older versions of nano had this problem, +please upgrade to a newer version (at least 0.9.9 would be great, 0.9. +12 is recommended).+ +
The help (^G) and justify (^J) functions +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 +shortcut list. If you use the -p option to nano you +will get the same shortcuts at the bottom as Pico.+ +
You need to make nano your $EDITOR. If you want this +to be saved, you should put a line like this in your .bashrc if +you use bash: ++ +export EDITOR=/usr/local/bin/nano +
or if you use tcsh put this in your .cshrc file: +
setenv EDITOR /usr/local/bin/nano +
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. +
Then on top that if you use Pine you must go into setup (type S +at the main menu), then configure (type C). Hit enter on the +lines that say: +
[ ] enable-alternate-editor-cmd +
[ ] enable-alternate-editor-implicitly +Then exit (E) and select Yes (Y). +
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 .muttrc: +
my_hdr X-Composer: nano x.y.z +
Again, replace x.y.z with the version of nano you use. +
So, uh, get someone who speaks your native +language to write one =-). Just grab the nano.pot file from +the latest and greatest nano distribution (it's in the po/ directory) +and translate each line into your native language on the msgstr +line. Then send it to the nano devel list or nano@asty.org.+ +
The best way would probably be to e-mail +the person listed in the <your_language>.po file with your suggested +corrections and they can in turn forward it to the nano email address, +or the devel list.+ +
There are many reasons to use nano instead +of Pico, a more complete list can be found at the nano +homepage.+ +
Again, check out the nano +homepage 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 +mailer integration and a little stability), nano is the way to go.+ +
Technically there is nothing "wrong" +with the U of W license for Pine and Pico. However, it is not +considered truly "free" according to the Debian +Free Software Guidelines. The only real problem as far as I'm +aware as that there are limitations on the redistribution of programs based +on the Pine and Pico source. So at a real nitty gritty level, +these programs are not considered Free Software. This is why Pico +isn't distributed in binary form in debian, and hence one of the main reasons +nano was started.+ +
Well, there is nothing stopping you from +using Pine with nano (or Pine with Pico for that matter). But if +you want to use programs that are considered Free Software, you may want +to look into mutt. 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.+ +
You're really not asking the right person +here. I (Chris) waited along time to see if UW would change their +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.+ +
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.+ +
There are two mailing lists for nano +hosted at SourceForge, nano-announce +and nano-devel. Nano-announce is a very low traffic list where new +versions of nano are announced (surprise!) Nano-devel is a sometimes +low, sometimes very high traffic list for dicussing the present and future +development of nano. Here are links to where you can sign up for +a given list: ++ +nano-announce - http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/nano-announce +
nano-devel - http://lists.sourceforge.net/mailman/listinfo/nano-devel
That's fine. Send it our +way! Better yet, fix a bug +in the program or implement a cool +feature and send us that instead (though cash is fine too).+ +
See Section 7.2.+ +
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.+ +
Re-read Section 7.4 +and you should know the answer.+ +
06/31/2000 - Initial framework.+ + +