Microsoft Unveils New Terminal-Based Editor for Windows and Linux
Microsoft has launched a new terminal-based text editor designed to work seamlessly on both Windows and Linux platforms, aiming to simplify coding and text editing directly within the command line interface. This move reflects growing demand for efficient, lightweight tools that integrate naturally into developers' existing workflows without the need for extensive retraining.
The new editor, which arrived without significant fanfare, leverages familiar keyboard shortcuts that many users already know from graphical text editors. This approach eliminates a common hurdle with terminal-based editors, which often require users to learn complex command sequences or rely on less intuitive key combinations. By aligning with established shortcut conventions, the tool offers immediate usability, even for those with limited experience in terminal environments.
Unlike traditional terminal editors such as Vim or Emacs, which have steep learning curves and rely heavily on specialized commands, Microsoft's solution positions itself as a more accessible alternative. It provides standard editing functionalities within the terminal, allowing developers to make quick changes to files without leaving their command line workflow or launching bulky graphical programs.
ADVERTISEMENT
The availability of this editor across Windows and Linux caters to the increasingly diverse environments where software development takes place. Windows, having improved its compatibility with Unix-like tools through initiatives like Windows Subsystem for Linux , continues to blur the lines between its native ecosystem and open-source platforms. The introduction of this editor reinforces Microsoft's commitment to serving developers who operate across these hybrid setups.
Industry observers note that Microsoft's quiet release strategy might be aimed at gauging organic user adoption before any large-scale marketing campaign. This measured approach has been seen with other Microsoft developer tools in recent years, emphasizing practicality and community feedback over hype.
From a technical standpoint, the editor integrates well with the Windows Terminal, a modern terminal emulator that Microsoft has been promoting as the preferred interface for command line tasks on Windows. Linux users, accustomed to powerful terminal environments, can similarly incorporate the editor into their routines with minimal friction.
Developers have responded positively to early demonstrations and shared experiences, highlighting the editor's ease of use and speed. Keyboard shortcuts such as copy, paste, undo, and redo operate as expected, reflecting conventions from popular GUI-based editors like Visual Studio Code or Sublime Text. This design choice contrasts sharply with terminal editors that require mode switching or memorisation of obscure commands, reducing friction for new users.
While the editor focuses on core editing capabilities rather than advanced integrated development environment features, it complements Microsoft's broader ecosystem. Tools such as Visual Studio Code remain the flagship editors for extensive project development, while the terminal editor caters to quick edits and lightweight scripting tasks. This separation allows users to pick the tool that best fits their immediate needs without sacrificing familiarity.
ADVERTISEMENT
The move also coincides with broader trends in software development, where developers increasingly embrace terminal-first workflows, containerised environments, and cloud-based pipelines. As these practices evolve, efficient terminal editors become crucial in maintaining productivity without compromising system resources.
Microsoft's history with command line tools, including PowerShell and Azure CLI, has shown a clear emphasis on streamlining developer operations. The introduction of this new editor fits neatly into that narrative, providing a complementary tool that bridges the gap between minimalism and usability.
Support for open standards and extensibility remain important factors for terminal editors. Although Microsoft has not yet disclosed detailed plans regarding plugin ecosystems or customisation options for this editor, it is expected that future updates will enhance functionality in response to user demand.
Security considerations also play a role in terminal editor adoption, especially in enterprise environments. Lightweight tools that operate within secure shells and reduce dependency on graphical interfaces can mitigate attack surfaces. Microsoft's approach likely considers these factors, positioning the editor as both practical and secure.
The editor's cross-platform nature also highlights Microsoft's evolving philosophy towards open-source communities. This reflects a significant departure from past practices where proprietary tools dominated, signalling a commitment to interoperability and developer choice.
Adoption of terminal-based editors is set to grow as development teams increasingly prefer flexible, scriptable environments that can run uniformly across different operating systems. By introducing this editor, Microsoft addresses this demand, supporting developers who seek consistency without sacrificing ease of use.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Google makes case for keeping Chrome browser
30 May 2025 23:15 Washington (AFP) Google on Friday urged a US judge to reject the notion of making it spin off its Chrome browser to weaken its dominance in online attorneys made their final arguments before US District Court Judge Amit Mehta, who is considering "remedies" to impose after making a landmark decision last year that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in government attorneys have called on Mehta to order Google divest itself of Chrome browser, contending that artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant's dominance as the go-to window into the also want Google barred from agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, which was the focus of the suit against the Silicon Valley internet weeks of testimony ended early in May, with Friday devoted to rival sides parsing points of law and making their arguments before Mehta in a courtroom in Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, told Mehta that there was no evidence presented showing people would have opted for a different search engine if no exclusivity deals had been in noted that Verizon installed Chrome on smartphones even though the US telecom titan owned Yahoo! search engine and was not bound by a contract with the 100 or so witnesses heard at trial, not one said "if I had more flexibility, I would have installed Bing" search engine from Microsoft, the Google attorney told the judge. 'More flexibility' Department of Justice (DoJ) attorney David Dahlquist countered that Apple, which was paid billions of dollars to make Chrome the default browser on iPhones, "repeatedly asked for more flexibility" but was denied by contends that the United States has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending a spinoff of Chrome, and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system."Forcing the sale of Chrome or banning default agreements wouldn't foster competition," said Cato Institute senior fellow in technology policy Jennifer Huddleston."It would hobble innovation, hurt smaller players, and leave users with worse products."The potential of Chrome being weakened or spun off comes as rivals such as Microsoft, ChatGPT and Perplexity put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work fetching information from the internet in response to user online search antitrust suit was filed against Google some five years ago, before ChatGPT made its debut, triggering AI is among the tech companies investing heavily to be a leader in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings. Kneecap Google? Testimony at trial included Apple vice president of services Eddy Cue revealing that Google's search traffic on Apple devices declined in April for the first time in over two testified that Google was losing ground to AI alternatives like ChatGPT and pressed rival attorneys regarding the potential for Google to share data as proposed by the DoJ in its recommended remedies."We're not looking to kneecap Google," DoJ attorney Adam Severt told the judge."But, we are looking to make sure someone can compete with Google."Schmidtlein contended that the data Google is being asked to share contains much more than just information about people's online searches, saying it would be tantamount to handing over the fruit of investments made over the course of decades."There are countless algorithms that Google engineers have invented that have nothing to do with click and query data," Schmidtlein said. "Their remedy says we want to be on par with all of your ingenuity, and, respectfully your honor, that is not proportional to the conduct of this case.
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Subpoenas issued after Builder.ai declares insolvency
Some current and former staffers at a once-promising AI start-up, have been issued subpoenas from the US Attorney's office in Manhattan days after the company declared insolvency. A former high-level employee at the Microsoft-backed company confirmed that, on the advice of counsel, some employees have been asked to preserve documents and other evidence related to a potential criminal investigation. 'They're looking into inflated sales numbers and round tripping,' a former staffer said, referring to a method for evading taxes. Regardless of whether or not the investigations lead to any litigation or prosecutions, the London-based days as a high-flying start-up are done. 'They're entering insolvency and every jurisdiction is different, so all of our end dates are all different, but the company is essentially done,' the former employee said. The US Attorney's office in Manhattan declined The National's requests for comment. It's a precipitous fall for a company that once achieved unicorn status, receiving a valuation of more than $1 billion. Another former employee spoke to The National last week to raise concerns about 'Founder Sachin Dev Duggal, who has since moved to Dubai, has also been a prominent speaker at many conferences across the region, contributing thought leadership to the tech and business community,' the former employee said in an email. Mr Duggal was removed as chief executive in March, though he retained an association with the company, along with the title of 'chief wizard'. In 2024, when was flush with investor cash and in the tech world's good graces, Mr Duggal briefly spoke to The National as he appeared at an event hosted by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, which had just announced a new AI centre. 'With this centre, we're helping to unveil a portal to global commerce,' he said at the time, reflecting on why chose DMCC as an ecosystem partner. 'We didn't want to be a software company just surrounded by other software companies, we wanted to be surrounded by potential customers and peers,' Mr Duggal added, referring to DMCC's reach and partnerships with gold, diamond, tea, coffee, crypto and gaming entities, to name a few. According to employees and media reports, failed to meet revenue expectations. It had promised to make mobile app development as 'easy as buying a pizza' but struggled to create reliable products, disappointing investors and creating a chasm between expectations and financial reality. Mr Duggal requested additional investment funds, as well as an emergency loan months before he was stripped of the chief executive title. Audits later revealed a high likelihood that sales projections had been fudged, causing concern about other potential financial irregularities. LinkedIn page, which has 288,000 followers, turned off the comment section for a post announcing the company's insolvency proceedings. 'Despite the tireless efforts of our current team and exploring every possible option, the business has been unable to recover from historic challenges and past decisions that placed significant strain on its financial position,' the post reads. 'We will work closely with the appointed administrators to ensure an orderly process and to explore all available options for parts of the business, where possible.' The company has become a cautionary tale of high-flying AI expectations meeting the realities of a competitive and crowded tech market. It's unclear if there will be any surviving pieces of intellectual property that might help survive in a different guise. Mr Duggal, whose confidence and bold projections helped to put on the map, did not immediately respond to The National's requests for comment. He did, however, post some thoughts on a alumni LinkedIn group. 'I don't think the story is done yet, but irrespective if I can be of any help to any of you as you make this transition in life please know I'm only a message away,' he posted in part. 'And more importantly – if I didn't listen, if I was short, if I was unreasonable – I'm sorry.' In the UAE, the DMCC, with which had an 'ecosystem partnership', said it was evaluating developments. The company has its headquarters in London and has offices in locations including New York and Dubai.
Arabian Business
2 days ago
- Arabian Business
While the West debates AI regulation, the UAE is deploying it at scale
The West is stuck in an exhausting cycle of AI anxiety. Europeans craft elaborate regulatory frameworks. Americans oscillate between Silicon Valley techno-optimism and Washington hand-wringing. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has simply gotten on with it. When Dubai announced plans to roll out free ChatGPT Plus subscriptions for residents as part of the Stargate UAE project, it was making a strategic declaration to the world. The UAE is participating in the AI revolution by methodically positioning to dominate the global AI landscape. This is not national romanticism; it's a cold-eyed assessment of how the UAE is systematically building the infrastructure, partnerships, and expertise to lead the next technological era. Let's talk numbers. a multi-billion dollar investment in the Stargate UAE computing cluster –expected to become one of the world's largest AI hubs with a 1-gigawatt facility – anchors the country's infrastructure ambitions; a state-owned AI investment vehicle (MGX) targeting $100 billion in assets; Microsoft's $1.5 billion stake in Abu Dhabi's G42 – these are the calculated chess pieces of a nation playing several moves ahead on the global chessboard. Strategic clarity amid Western confusion The European Union spent three years labouring over its AI Act, producing a byzantine classification system that neatly divides AI into risk categories with corresponding restrictions. This has resulted in a regulatory masterpiece that practically guarantees European technological irrelevance. The U.S.'s approach is hardly better – a haphazard blend of corporate self-regulation and fragmented state interventions that satisfies nobody. One federal agency warns of existential risk while another frets about falling behind China. Paralysis ensues. The UAE suffers no such confusion. The country appointed the world's first Minister of State for AI in 2017, a full six years before Sam Altman was testifying to Congress about the need for regulatory oversight. This was far from symbolic. It signaled an intention to integrate AI governance at the highest levels of government while Western democracies were still debating whether AI deserved cabinet-level attention. Confidence vs. anxiety The UAE's approach stems from a fundamental cultural difference. Western discourse frames AI through fear – job displacement, misinformation, existential risk. The UAE narrative is precisely the opposite. The Gulf nation sees AI as the logical extension of centuries of Arab mathematical and scientific tradition, from Al-Khwarizmi's algebra to today's neural networks. When the UAE revealed its intention to provide free ChatGPT Plus access to all residents, it was a cultural statement. In the Emirates, advanced technology is not something to fear or heavily restrict, but a birthright to be widely distributed. The Jais language model, launched in August 2023 as an Arabic-English LLM, exemplifies this approach. Western models treated Arabic as an afterthought; the UAE built one where the Arabic language and the region's cultural context were central. Forget technological nationalism, this is refusing to accept second-class status in the digital future. Diplomatic agility as competitive advantage Perhaps the UAE's most underappreciated advantage is diplomatic flexibility. While the U.S. and China engage in their technological cold war, restricting chip exports and investment flows, the UAE maintains productive relationships with both superpowers. Microsoft invests billions in the Emirati AI ecosystem while the country simultaneously maintains technological partnerships with Chinese firms. This is strategic genius. The UAE accesses Western investment and Chinese markets simultaneously, while both giants increasingly cut themselves off from each other. The UAE model offers something distinct from either American market-driven innovation or Chinese state-directed development. It blends centralised vision with market dynamism, state investment with private expertise. The results speak for themselves: the Advanced Technology Research Council's Falcon LLM outperforming Meta and Google in certain benchmarks; the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League pushing boundaries of self-driving technology; ADNOC leveraging AI through platforms like its Panorama Digital Command Center to optimise operations and drive efficiency in the energy sector it has long dominated. Public buy-in, not resistance Perhaps most crucially, the UAE has achieved something many governments can only dream of: genuine public enthusiasm for AI. While Western populations grow increasingly suspicious of technology companies and algorithmic decision-making, citizens of the UAE view AI advancement as a source of national pride and a tangible symbol of the country's emergence as a global innovation leader. And this isn't accidental. Through initiatives like the UAE AI Programme, the country is aggressively upskilling its population to work with AI rather than compete against it. By framing AI as job creator rather than job destroyer, the UAE has transformed what could be public resistance into a powerful implementation advantage. ADNOC doesn't hide its AI integration. Instead, it proudly showcases how technologies like Neuron 5 optimise processes and reduce operational downtime. Retail giants like Majid Al Futtaim openly deploy AI-powered platforms for customer experiences. The UAE is normalising advanced AI in daily life while Western companies often downplay automation to avoid public backlash. The global stakes For Western readers thinking this is merely regional posturing, consider the implications. The UAE is demonstrating an alternative model of technological development that numerous countries find more appealing than either the American or Chinese approaches. This Gulf nation of 10 million people has become globally relevant in the most consequential technological transformation of our time. The Emirati model – centralised vision, aggressive investment, cultural confidence, and pragmatic implementation – offers a template for dozens of emerging economies watching this revolution unfold. The West may still enjoy significant advantages – elite universities, deep talent pools, and massive private sector investment. But these advantages are being steadily eroded by regulatory caution and cultural ambivalence. And history repeatedly confirms what we instinctively know: excessive regulation inevitably stifles the very innovation it attempts to guide. While Western nations draft position papers, the UAE builds AI infrastructure. While they debate hypothetical risks, it deploys real solutions. While they regulate, the UAE advances. For all the talk of AI competition between the U.S. and China, the most interesting model might be emerging from a small Gulf nation that many Western analysts still dismiss as a luxury tourism destination with outsized ambitions. They'd be wise to pay closer attention. History teaches us that technological revolutions often produce unexpected winners. Venice dominated early printing. Britain led industrialisation. America mastered computing. Each transformation reshuffled global power hierarchies.
