`fresh`: My preferred terminal editor for daily use

Although vim is an incredibly powerful tool and nano stands out for its extreme simplicity, I often look for a middle ground for file editing in the terminal. An editor that is fast, modern, and doesn't force me to remember modes or complex key combinations for simple tasks. That's how I discovered fresh, and it has quickly become my preferred terminal editor for daily use.

What is fresh?¶

fresh is a text editor for the terminal designed to be simple, fast, and efficient. Unlike vim, fresh is a modeless editor, which means you can start typing and editing text immediately, just like you would in a graphical editor. Unlike nano, fresh offers a more modern experience with features you expect from a current text editor.

Why do I prefer it over nano or vim for regular use?¶

• Modeless: The main advantage over vim. You don't need to learn to switch between insert, normal, visual modes, etc. You simply open the file and edit.
• Modern and Fast: Despite running in the terminal, fresh feels responsive and offers a clean interface.
• Syntax Highlighting: Support for syntax coloring for a wide variety of languages.
• Mouse Support: You can click to move the cursor, select text, or even use the wheel to scroll.
• Multi-Cursor: A very powerful feature that nano does not offer and vim requires more complexity to use.
• Undo/Redo: Full undo/redo functionality.
• Search and Replace: Simple and intuitive search and replace functions.

While vim remains my choice for complex edits or advanced scripting, for "opening a .conf", modifying a .bashrc, or writing a small note, fresh is unbeatable in speed and convenience. nano is perhaps too basic for my needs, lacking most of the modern features that fresh offers.

Installation¶

fresh is easy to install on most Linux distributions. For example, on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems:

sudo apt install fresh

Or you can follow the instructions in the official repository to compile it from source or use other package managers.

Conclusion¶

If you are looking for a terminal editor that is a perfect hybrid between the power of vim and the simplicity of nano, but with a modern touch and focused on immediate usability, fresh is an excellent choice. Give it a try, it might become your new favorite!

Official repository: fresh on GitHub