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Mino is a GNU software, part of the GnuDOS package.
Mino is a text file editor for use with the GNU/Linux console/terminals.
The idea is to provide a text editor that is user friendly and easy to use
for those who came from a DOS background. Having accustomed to SHIFT-selecting
text, using CTRL-shortcut keys and so on makes it hard for the regular Joe
to dive in head-first into the GNU syntax. Mino provides a multi-level
experience, the level of complexity can be adjusted by the user: you want to
use DOS-keys with a few basic GNU ones? you want to go with the full power of
the GNU system? All are options that are provided by the six levels of
experience of mino:
You start with level 1 by default.
To set your level of experience, call mino with the '--level X' or
'-l X' options, Where X is the desired level, for example:
$ mino --level 2
Below is a table showing the DOS-like key combinations along with their respective GNU key bindings. To the right is the level at which a certain GNU key is defined. Each key defined is recognized in higher levels (e.g. level 2 keys are recognized in levels 3-4-5-6). Note that in level 6 only GNU keys are defined, no DOS key will work at all at this level!.
Keybindings:
In the table below, C-something means pressing down CTRL and then pressing the
other key. Note that ’^’ is the same as ’C’, meaning CTRL-key, it is just
typed like this so DOS users can feel familiar with the text.
The same goes for M-something, which means META or ALT.
| Function | DOS-like key | GNU key | GnuDOS Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| All DOS bindings and no GNU bindings | Newbie | ||
| Next Line | Down | C-n | Novice |
| Prev. Line | Up | C-p | Novice |
| Backward | Left | C-b | Novice |
| Forward | Right | C-f | Novice |
| Back One Word | ^Left | M-b | Novice |
| Fwd One Word | ^Right | M-f | Novice |
| Cancel | ESC | C-g | Intermediate |
| Next Screen | PgDn | C-v | Intermediate |
| Prev. Screen | PgUp | M-v | Intermediate |
| Start of Line | Home | C-a | Intermediate |
| End of Line | End | C-e | Intermediate |
| Start of text | ^Home | C-< | Intermediate |
| End of text | ^End | C-> | Intermediate |
| Del prev char | BkSpc | DEL (is BkSpc) | Advanced |
| Del next char | Delete | C-d | Advanced |
| Del prev word | ^BkSpc | M-DEL (is M-BkSpc) | Advanced |
| Del next word | ^Delete | M-d | Advanced |
| Select text | SHIFT+Arrow | C-Space | Advanced |
| Cut (kill) | BkSpc/Del | C-w | Advanced |
| Quit | ^Q | C-x C-c | Expert |
| Paste (yanking) | ^V | C-y | Expert |
| Del Line | ^D | C-k | Expert |
| Undo | ^Z | C-/, C-_, C-x u | Expert |
| Open File | ^O | C-x C-f | Expert |
| Save File | ^S | C-x C-s | Expert |
| Find (Search) | ^F | C-s (forward search) | Expert |
| C-r (reverse search) | Expert | ||
| Help | F1 | C-h ? | Expert |
| All GNU bindings and no DOS bindings | Veteran |
If you are new to the GNU system and find it hard to dive-in head-first into the GNU keys and shortcuts that GNU programs like emacs use, this is the place to start. Use your well-known DOS-like shortcuts, in the same time learn how to use the GNU system shortcuts.
After installing the GnuDOS package, simply type:
$ mino
on your console (or GUI terminal) and the editor will run. If you want to load a file into mino on startup, run:
$ mino path-to-file
To reset the configuration file:
$ mino --reset-config
To show command line help:
$ mino [--help|-h]
Mino stores its configuration in a file named ’.mino.conf’ under your home directory. You can edit it by hand (or using mino!), but this is not advisable. Use the Options menu under mino to change your preferences and mino will save them to the config file in the proper way.
Currently mino recognizes the following file types (by their extension):
Whenever you open a file of one of these types, mino will automatically adjust the colors of the view so that the language keywords, library functions, and operators (like +-*/ and so on) are highlighted, each in a different color, on a black background, to ease writing your programs.
There is one catch: when running under the console, some key combinations are
not recognised (e.g. CTRL+arrow-keys). This is because starting with version 2.0,
the GnuDOS library uses ncurses to get keyboard input and some keys, especially
modifier keys, are not captured. This means, for example, you might not be able
to hold down SHIFT and use the arrow keys to select text. The solution is
using CTRL+E, which activates the Select mode. Enter the Select mode, use the
arrow keys to size your selection, do whatever you want with it, and exit the
Select mode.
And that’s it for the intro!
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