Text Editors on the Server

If you'd rather work entirely in the terminal instead of connecting with VS Code, the course server has several terminal text editors installed. Any of them will do fine for editing Haskell this semester — pick whichever feels comfortable.

All of them are launched the same way: type the editor's command followed by a filename. If the file doesn't exist yet, it's created when you save.

vim   Lab01.hs
nvim  Lab01.hs
micro Lab01.hs
hx    Lab01.hs

vim

The editor you'll find on essentially every Unix machine ever. vim is modal: you start in "normal" mode where keys are commands (move, delete, change), and press i to enter "insert" mode where you actually type. Esc gets you back to normal mode. Save and quit with :wq, quit without saving with :q!.

It has a steep first hour and a very long payoff. If you've never used it, run vimtutor at the shell for a 30‑minute built‑in walkthrough.

neovim

neovim (command nvim) is a modernized fork of vim. The editing model and keystrokes are the same — everything in the vim section above applies — but it ships with saner defaults, better terminal support, and a nicer plugin system. If you like vim's approach, there's no real reason not to use nvim instead.

micro

micro is the one to reach for if modal editing sounds like a hassle. It behaves the way you'd expect a modern editor to: Ctrl+S saves, Ctrl+Q quits, Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V copy and paste, arrow keys move, and the mouse works for clicking and selecting. Syntax highlighting is on out of the box. Press Ctrl+E to type a command, or Ctrl+G for help.

helix

helix (command hx) is a newer modal editor. It's in the same family as vim but flips the order of operations — you select something first, then act on it, with the selection always visible — which many people find easier to learn. It comes with syntax highlighting and code intelligence built in, no configuration or plugins required. Press Space then ? to browse commands; save and quit with :wq like vim.

Want a different editor?

If you'd like a particular editor (emacs, nano, a specific plugin, whatever) installed on the server, just email bang@cs.hmc.edu and I'll get it set up.