Microsoft surprises MS-DOS fans with remake of ancient text editor that works on Linux

Last month, Microsoft published a modern remake of its classic MS -Dos editor, bringing a piece of computer history that appeared for the first time in MS -DOS 5.0 in 1991. The new open source tool, built with Rust and simply called “Edit”, works on Windows, MacOS and – in a torsion that would have seemed three decades – Linux.

Multiplatemeal availability has delighted longtime users who did not expect to see Microsoft’s text editor operating on their favorite operating system. “30 years of waiting, and I can use MS Edit on Linux,” wrote a Reddit user, capturing the nostalgic attraction of the execution of a really useful version of a Microsoft back on a Unix type system.

An animated GIF of Microsoft showing the modern “Edit” application in action. (Credit: Microsoft)

The original MS-DOS publisher represented a major step for Microsoft’s control text editing capacities at the time of its version. Before 1991, back users suffered by Edlin, a primitive and hostile line editor that many people have used the entry of “Copy Con Filename.txt” and to hope for the best. The MS-Dos editor has changed this by introducing concepts that seem basic today: a full screen interface, a mouse support and tapered menus that you could really sail without memorizing cryptic controls.

And these cryptic orders persist today in certain Linux publishers, such as VIM, a modal text editor where users must switch between different modes for the edition in relation to the navigation text, which will confuse newcomers. “Many of you probably know the” How can I get out Vim? “Even,” wrote Christopher Nguyen, product manager of the Microsoft Windows Terminal team, in a blog article on Edit. “Although it is relatively simple to learn the magic exit incantation, it is certainly not a coincidence that this often presents as a stumbling block for new programmers.”