Edit is now open source

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Role of Edit in Windows & SSH Workflows

  • Many welcome a default terminal editor that works over SSH, especially for managing Windows Server / Server Core and containers without GUI or RDP.
  • Several argue SSH fits better into cross-platform admin workflows than PowerShell remoting or RDP, due to ubiquity, tooling integration, and efficiency.

Why Not Just Ship nano / micro / yedit?

  • Multiple comments note existing small editors (nano, micro, kilo, yedit) and suggest Microsoft could have bundled one.
  • The project author explains they evaluated these but wanted:
    • Very small binary suitable for all Windows variants and images.
    • VT-oriented I/O for SSH rather than legacy console APIs.
    • Strong Unicode support and first‑class Windows integration.
  • yedit specifically was considered but had Unicode/text-buffer issues that would require major rewrites.

Implementation Choices (Rust, Dependencies, Security)

  • Edit is written in Rust with almost no third‑party crates to reduce binary size and supply‑chain risk.
  • A custom TUI, Unicode handling, allocator, etc. are implemented in-house; partly for a C-ABI plugin model.
  • The author prototyped in C, C++, Zig, and Rust, personally preferred Zig but used Rust because it is supported in Microsoft’s internal “chain of trust.”
  • Nightly Rust features are currently used to avoid writing shims; intention is to move back to stable later.

Design Philosophy: Minimal, Modeless, Non-modal

  • Microsoft explicitly wanted a simple, modeless editor as a baseline tool, not a full IDE.
  • Some commenters push for LSP/tree-sitter/DAP and plugin systems; others warn this is scope creep that undermines the “always-available minimal editor” role.
  • Vim-style modes are debated: proponents say modes bring power; opponents say modes confuse new users and aren’t needed for a basic editor.

History, Naming, and Nostalgia

  • Strong nostalgia for MS-DOS EDIT.COM and other old TUIs; some lament limitations and 16‑bit heritage that prevent easy porting to x64.
  • Discussion of NTVDM removal, DOSBox/WineVDM, and why a new NT-native editor was simpler than reviving old DOS code.
  • Naming “edit” is controversial: some say it continues long-standing Microsoft convention; others argue reusing a generic historic name harms discoverability.

Features, Gaps, and UX Notes

  • Users praise responsiveness, friendliness, mouse support, and menu bar with visible shortcuts.
  • Missing features noted: word count, file-change detection, easy file switching shortcuts, shell escape, theming, and advanced extensibility.
  • No telemetry is assumed but not clearly confirmed in the thread.

Broader Context & Reactions

  • Some call the project “cute” but NIH; others argue that reimplementing with tight integration, security, and learning value is justified.
  • There is light humor about “year of Windows on the server” and about Windows historically lagging *nix on built-in terminal tools, even as people acknowledge Windows’ strong low-level server APIs (IOCP, RSS, system probes).