pico

pico [options] [file]

-v
    Show the version number of Pico.

-m
    Enable mouse support (if available).

-d
    Rebind the 'Delete Char' command to ^D (like Pine).

-f
    Use function keys for commands (if available).

-h
    Display help text.

-k
    Cut (delete) the entire line at the cursor.

-n
    When pico is invoked to compose mail, it would use lines less that the available window size.

-o
    Sets the operation directory to .

[file]
    The name of the file to edit. If the file doesn't exist, it will be created.

Pico is a simple, display-oriented text editor based on the Pine email client's editor. It's designed to be easy for beginners to learn and use.
Unlike more powerful editors like Vim or Emacs, Pico prioritizes simplicity and ease of use over extensive features. It provides basic text editing functionalities like inserting, deleting, copying, and pasting text. Its interface is screen-oriented, displaying the entire file in a single window. Command options are displayed at the bottom of the screen for easy reference.
While not suited for complex programming tasks or large-scale document editing, Pico excels at quickly creating or modifying configuration files, taking notes, or composing simple text documents. Its user-friendly design makes it a suitable choice for users who are new to command-line text editing.

Pico is a relatively basic editor. It lacks many features found in more advanced editors like syntax highlighting, regular expression search/replace, and extensive customization options. It can struggle with very large files.

Most Pico commands are executed using Ctrl key combinations. For example, Ctrl+X exits the editor, Ctrl+O saves the file, and Ctrl+G displays the help menu. The available keybindings are displayed at the bottom of the editor window.

Pico uses Ctrl+K to cut a line, Ctrl+U to un-cut (paste) a line, and Ctrl+J to justify a paragraph.

Pico was originally developed as part of the Pine email client at the University of Washington. It was intended as a simple and user-friendly editor for composing email messages within Pine. Due to its ease of use, it gained popularity beyond its initial purpose and was often used as a general-purpose text editor on Unix-like systems. Later, the nano editor was created as a free software clone of Pico, intended to address licensing issues with Pico's original distribution.

nano(1), vim(1), emacs(1)