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JOE (Joe's Own Editor) vs VILE: catalog facts
JOE (Joe's Own Editor)	VILE
Free Free software distributed under the GNU General Public License.	Free Free and open source under the GNU GPL version 2 or later.
Windows, Linux, Command line	Windows, Command line
Familiar WordStar key layout with Emacs-like features Tiny binary with only libc as a dependency	Vi-style editing with multiple buffers and windows Available as source and Windows builds
The Windows build lags behind at version 4.6 Keyboard scheme differs from vi and modern GUI editors	Not a vi clone, with differences in less frequently used commands and configuration
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.