From 065bb1e1a03f7a519d7c691f7925776bf12c5821 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Chris Allegretta Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 16:09:33 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Added FAQ git-svn-id: svn://svn.savannah.gnu.org/nano/trunk/nano@113 35c25a1d-7b9e-4130-9fde-d3aeb78583b8 --- faq.html | 546 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 546 insertions(+) create mode 100644 faq.html diff --git a/faq.html b/faq.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..6d3b0915 --- /dev/null +++ b/faq.html @@ -0,0 +1,546 @@ + + + + + + + + +

+The nano FAQ

+

+Table of Contents

+ +

+1.  General

+ +
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. Where to get nano

+ +
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. Installation and Configuration

+ +
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. Running

+ +
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. Internationalization

+ +
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. Advocacy and Licensing

+ +
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. Miscellaneous

+ +
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?
+ +

+8. ChangeLog

+ +
+
  +

+1.  General

+ +

+1.1 About this FAQ.

+ +
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...
+ +

+1.2. How do I contribute to it?

+ +
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.
+ +

+1.3. What is nano?

+ +
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.
+ +

+1.4. What is the history behind +nano?

+ +
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.

+ +

+1.5. Why the name change from TIP?

+ +
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).
+ +

+1.6 What is the current version +of nano?

+ +
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.
+ +

+1.7. I want to read the man page +without having to download the program!

+ +
Jeez, demanding, aren't we?   +Okay, look here.
+ +
+

+2. Where to get nano

+ +

+2.1. FTP and WWW sites that carry +nano.

+ +
The nano distribution can be downloaded +at the following fine web and ftp sites: + +
+ +

+2.2. Redhat and derivatives (.rpm) +packages.

+ +
+ +Additionally, check out the Redhat contribs section +at: + +
+ +

+2.3. Debian (.deb) packages.

+ +
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.
+ +

+2.4. By CVS (for the brave).

+ +
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.
+ +
+

+3. Installation and Configuration

+ +

+3.1. How do install the RPM or +DEB package?

+ +
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.
+ +

+3.2. Compiling from source: WHAT +THE HECK DO I DO NOW?

+ +
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)

+ +

+3.3. Why does everything go into +/usr/local?

+ +
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.

+ +

+3.4. I get errors about 'bindtextdomain', +'gettext' and/or 'gettextdomain'.  What can I do about it?

+ +
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.
+ +
+

+4. Running

+ +

+4.1. Ack!  My backspace/delete/enter/double +bucky/meta key doesn't seem to work!  What can I do?

+ +
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

+ +

+4.2. Nano crashes when I type <insert +keystroke here>!

+ +
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.
+ +

+4.3. Nano crashes when I resize +my window.   How can I fix that?

+ +
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).
+ +

+4.4. Why does nano show ^\ and +^_ in the shortcut list instead of ^G and ^J?

+ +
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.
+ +

+4.5 How do I make nano my default editor (in Pine, mutt, +etc)?

+ +
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. +
 

+ +
+

+5. Internationalization

+ +

+5.1. There's no translation for +my language!

+ +
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.
+ +

+5.2. I don't like the translation +for <x> in my language.   How can I fix it?

+ +
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.
+ +
+

+6. Advocacy and Licensing

+ +

+6.1. Why should I use nano instead +of Pico?

+ +
There are many reasons to use nano instead +of Pico, a more complete list can be found at the nano +homepage.
+ +

+6.2. Why should I use Pico instead +of nano?

+ +
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.
+ +

+6.3. What is so bad about the PINE +license?

+ +
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.
+ +

+6.4. Okay, well what mail program +should I use then?

+ +
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.
+ +

+6.5. Why doesn't UW simply change +their license?

+ +
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.
+ +

+6.6. What if tomorrow UW changes +the license to be truly Free Software?

+ +
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.
+ +
+

+7. Miscellaneous

+ +

+7.1. Nano related mailing lists.

+ +
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

+ +

+7.2. I want to send the development +team a big load of cash (or just a thank you).

+ +
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).
+ +

+7.3. How do I submit a patch?

+ +
See Section 7.2.
+ +

+7.4. How do I join the development +team?

+ +
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.
+ +

+7.5. Can I have CVS write access?

+ +
Re-read Section 7.4 +and you should know the answer.
+ +

+8. ChangeLog

+ +
06/31/2000 - Initial framework.
+ + + -- 2.39.5