Chapter 26. Linux Text Editors and Development Tools
This appendix covers:
Linux includes a number of text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs), going from plain old text editors all the way up to sophisticated tools. These tools are suitable for shell scripting, C, Python, and Perl programming, along with a plethora of other uses. Linux makes extensive use of text files, especially for configuration data, so Linux has always included a number of text editors.
This appendix lists a number of tools for those who have not yet set up an RPM development environment on Linux. Note that choosing an editor or IDE is mostly a matter of personal taste. Programmers will often engage in raging battles over the superiority of text editors and other programming tools. Before searching around too far, try out what you have installed on your system and see if that works for you.
Note that Internet sites may change or disappear, so you may have to search to find these tools.
26.1. General Text Editors
Linux distributions include a number of text editors with varying sets of features. The two most common editors are vi and emacs, which come with virtually all Linux distributions. These editors are good for UNIX- or Linux-savvy developers, but generally have a steep learning curve for developers used only to Windows.
If you come from Windows, try gedit, kedit, or kate. These text editors open a graphical window on your desktop, making them appear more or less like the Windows Notepad.exe. All three offer more features than Notepad.exe, however.
You may not have installed any of these editors, but all are available as part of Red Hat Linux. You can install vi, emacs, gedit, kedit, or kate from the packages that come with your Linux distribution.
To start one of the editors, enter a command like the following:
$ gedit listrpmpkgs &
The ampersand, &, launches the program in the background. Replace gedit with the editor you choose.
