Question:

Linux has several command line text editors, like emacs, vi, and nano.

What I wanted to know is whether there is a command line text editor that supports the mouse, like old edit.com in DR & MS-DOS ?

I don't want any X-server thing (like gedit), nor any sophisticated stream editor like emacs, just a useful command line text editor WITH MOUSE. Since device drivers should be in the kernel, it should be possible (at least if properly configured), is it?

What would you like to use the mouse for? I use "pico" (transparent terminal on my desktop) using mouse, cut paste shortcut key's. Does everything I need. What more could you need short of a "sophisticated stream editor"?

Are you talking about getting the mouse on the various tty consoles? To do this, install the gpm package
This will install the General Purpose Mouse Interface and allow the mouse to work for the various ttys - just restart after installing



Or are you looking to have a console text editor running under a gnome-terminal session?

No, under the console terminal, not the gnome-terminal. Gnome offers gedit, which is much better.
I wanted one for the console.

Yes, I can now confirm that you can do it with nano:

you need to sudo gedit /etc/nanorc

and there change
# set mouse
into
set mouse

Then apt-get install gpm, as said, and then it works.

Really simple, install the mouse driver (gpm) just as in DOS, and then it works. The only thing I didn't know was, that you need to change the config file. That's all.

Nano is a really nice console editor, it beats edit.com, even though it is not as user friendly.

At least nano has option to enable mouse. I've only tried it from a gnome terminal, not in a VTT, but you could give it a try..

Check "man nano" & "man nanorc" for more info.

edit: I just tested, and simply enabling mouse for nano is not enough, you also need to enable mouse for the VTT itself.

I can't be of any help, but I'd just like to voice that I'd be interested to know about anything you find out about....I don't know editors very well, but I miss a clean solution to my editing needs, like notepad++ on Windows, and I don't know if it makes any difference, but I think its possible to run emacs in the terminal instead of an x window. Something with mouse support would indeed be nice, but I'd think you would have to be running in a modified terminal, no?

bump.

Indeed, as far as I know there exists nothing. But the edit on dos shows that it is possible. You would probably have to configure the mouse driver, however.