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micro vs JOE (Joe's Own Editor): catalog facts
micro	JOE (Joe's Own Editor)
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free software distributed under the GNU General Public License.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, Linux, Command line
Common keybindings, so there is nothing to learn before editing a file A single static binary with no dependencies or external files	Familiar WordStar key layout with Emacs-like features Tiny binary with only libc as a dependency
Not an IDE; no language server support or project tooling The plugin ecosystem is small	The Windows build lags behind at version 4.6 Keyboard scheme differs from vi and modern GUI editors
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

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