For the average user, a simple GUI-based text editor is enough for most day-to-day text editing tasks. However, it's a different story when it comes to system administrators. For a Linux sysadmin, for which speed and productivity are more important, a command-line-based text editor is arguably better.

Enter Micro, a free, open-source, and cross-platform text editor for the command line. One of the most important aspects of Micro is that it allows for quick text editing while also being able to take full advantage of the capabilities of most modern Terminals.

The whole point of Micro is to be fast and easy to use. This point is made quite clear from the start. The app is effortless to install on most Linux distros thanks to a series of bespoke static binaries (meaning the app doesn't have complex requirements and has all the dependencies built-in).

At its core, Micro is a fairly modern software. What's more, it's quite clear that it was mainly designed with power users in mind. Still, for what it is, it's remarkably user-friendly.

For starters, it's very customizable. You can configure a wide range of aspects via a simple JSON file. If the standard form is not "up to spec," then you can configure the editor further with the help of Lua.

Other features include support for multiple cursors (Sublime-style multiple cursors), over 75 languages (and provides 7 default color schemes to choose from), and even has a complete plugin system (plugins are written in Lua and can be installed via a plugin manager).

Last but not least, micro has full support for the mouse. Selected text can be dragged and dropped, and words can be selected via double-click actions, as well as whole lines via triple-click.

Even though I don't work in the Terminal a lot, I enjoyed taking Micro for a spin. It's one of those apps that feels really well-thought-out. This makes it perfect for both typical users who need to use it in a pinch, as well as for more advanced users who need to run interactive shells (both from the Terminal or via SSH). For more information about how to use Micro, as well as how to install and set it up, check out the dedicated Tutorial section.