Editing Acme (text editor)

{{Short description|Text editor designed by Rob Pike}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = Acme
| logo                   =
| screenshot             = Acme.png
| caption                = A screenshot of '''Acme'''
| author                 = [[Rob Pike]]
| latest_release_version =
| latest_preview_version =
| operating_system       = [[Plan 9 from Bell Labs|Plan 9]], [[Inferno (operating system)|Inferno]], [[Unix-like]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
| genre                  = [[Text editor]]
| license                = [[MIT License|MIT]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sorace |first1=Anthony |title=Transfer of Plan 9 to the Plan 9 Foundation |url=https://marc.info/?l=9fans&m=161650489113326|website=marc.info |access-date=2021-06-08}}</ref><br />[[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-only]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bitbucket.org/inferno-os/inferno-os/src/default/NOTICE | title=Inferno copyright notice | publisher=Vita Nuova | access-date=2019-08-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809130007/https://bitbucket.org/inferno-os/inferno-os/src/default/NOTICE | archive-date=2019-08-09 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=UC Berkeley | url=http://akaros.cs.berkeley.edu/files/Plan9License | title=The University of California, Berkeley, has been authorised by Alcatel-Lucent to release all Plan 9 software previously governed by the Lucent Public License, Version 1.02 under the GNU General Public License, Version 2. | access-date=2014-02-13 | archive-date=2014-02-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213172858/http://akaros.cs.berkeley.edu/files/Plan9License | url-status=dead }}</ref><br />[[Lucent Public License|LPL-1.02]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://plan9.bell-labs.com/plan9/license.html | title=Lucent Public License Version 1.02 | access-date=2021-06-08 |archive-date=2003-10-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031003143445/http://plan9.bell-labs.com/plan9dist/license.html | url-status=dead}}</ref>
| website                = {{URL|acme.cat-v.org}}
}}

'''Acme''' is a [[text editor]] and graphical [[shell (computing)|shell]] from the [[Plan 9 from Bell Labs]] [[operating system]], designed and implemented by [[Rob Pike]]. It can use the [[Sam (text editor)|Sam]] command language. The design of the interface was influenced by [[Oberon operating system|Oberon]]. It is different from other editing environments in that it acts as a [[9P (protocol)|9P]] server. A distinctive element of the [[user interface]] is [[mouse chording]].

== Overview==
Acme can be used as a [[mail reader|mail]] and [[News client|news reader]], or as a frontend to [[wikifs]]. These applications are made possible by external components interacting with acme through its file system interface. Rob Pike has mentioned that the name "Acme" was suggested to him by [[Penn Jillette]] of [[Penn & Teller]] during a movie night at [[Times Square]] when he asked for a suitable name for a text editor that does "everything".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://acme.cat-v.org/faq | title = Acme FAQ | access-date = 2013-01-25 | publisher = cat-v}}</ref>

== Ports ==
A port to the [[Inferno (operating system)|Inferno]] operating system is part of Inferno's default distribution.  Inferno can run as an application on top of other operating systems, allowing Inferno's port of acme to be used on most operating systems, including [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Linux]].  A project called ''acme: stand alone complex'' intends to make acme run as a standalone application on the host operating system.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://code.google.com/p/acme-sac/ | title = acme: stand alone complex | work = [[caerwyn.com]] }}</ref>

A working port of acme for [[Unix-like]] operating systems is included in [[Plan 9 from User Space]], a collection of various ported programs from [[Plan 9 from Bell Labs|Plan 9]]. Currently it has been tested on a variety of [[operating systems]] including: [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[FreeBSD]], [[NetBSD]], [[OpenBSD]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] and [[SunOS]].

== Notable Acme users ==
*[[Dennis Ritchie]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jensen-Urstad |first1=Anders |title=Screenshots from developers & Unix people (2002) |url=https://anders.unix.se/2015/10/28/screenshots-from-developers--unix-people-2002/|access-date=3 January 2019 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160920223248/https://anders.unix.se/2015/10/28/screenshots-from-developers--unix-people-2002/ |date=15 October 2015 |archive-date=20 September 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Russ Cox
*[[Rob Pike]] (Acme creator)
*Brian L. Stuart<ref>{{cite book |last=Stuart |first=Brian |date=15 January 2008 |title=Principles of Operating Systems: Design and Applications |publisher=Cengage Learning |page=147 |isbn=978-1418837693}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}
*[[Wily (text editor)]], a look-alike available for [[Unix]]. Unmaintained since the port of the original acme as part of [[Plan 9 from User Space]].
*[[sam (text editor)|sam]], Rob Pike's other popular text editor. Predecessor of Acme.
*[http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/1st_edition/help/ 'Help': A Minimalist Global User Interface. precursor of acme and sharing many of its ideas] also by Rob Pike.
*[[Plan 9 from Bell Labs]]
*[[wmii]], a [[window manager]] with much inspiration from Acme.
*[[List of Plan 9 applications]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{cite web | first = Rob | last = Pike | authorlink = Rob Pike | url = http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/acme/ | title = Acme — A User Interface for Programmers | year = 1994 }}
*{{man|1|acme|Plan 9||inline}} {{man|4|acme|Plan 9||inline}}, the manuals.
*[http://swtch.com/plan9port/  Plan 9 from User Space] (aka plan9port) is a port of many Plan 9 programs from their native Plan 9 environment to [[Unix-like]] operating systems, including Mac OS X.
*[https://code.google.com/p/acme-sac/ acme stand alone complex] - A distribution of the Inferno version of acme packaged for Windows, OS X and Linux and including many extras and tools (an IRC client, a wiki client, a web browser, a debugger, etc.)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP1xVpMPn8M Russ Cox demonstrating Acme]

{{Rob Pike navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acme (Text Editor)}}
[[Category:Free text editors]]
[[Category:Plan 9 from Bell Labs]]
[[Category:Inferno (operating system)]]
[[Category:MacOS text editors]]
[[Category:Unix text editors]]