Install joe with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• jmacs
• joe
• jpico
• jstar
• rjoe

Project history

Joseph H. Allen's official history traces JOE back to an editor called e written in 1988 for a local BBS system on an Encore Multimax at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. It was released on alt.sources around 1989 or 1990, renamed j after users objected that e collided with vi usage, and then named JOE after someone suggested Joe's Own Editor.

The history page describes joe1.0 as a rewrite around linked lists of gap buffers, termcap support, and the joerc key-binding file. Later 2.x releases included an MS-DOS port, and 2.8 became the last Allen release before a long pause.

Development resumed through SourceForge around joe2.9, when Marek Grac and Vitezslav Samel reformatted the code, put it under source control, and moved it to a standard configure build. Allen returned for joe3.0 in April 2004, adding syntax highlighting and UTF-8 support. The 4.x line added color schemes, Unicode updates, terminal behavior improvements, and many bug fixes.

Adoption history

JOE became durable because it is small, familiar to users of WordStar-like keybindings, and practical on recovery systems. The official site says it comes standard with many Linux distributions, and package metadata lists it across Homebrew, Debian-family, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Scoop, and openSUSE-style ecosystems.

How it is used

Users invoke joe directly or through variants such as jmacs, jstar, jpico, and rjoe. The official site explains that the invoked name selects the matching rc file, and users can customize behavior by copying the system joerc into the home directory.

Why package nerds care

JOE is package-nerd significant because it is one of the classic rescue-shell editors: small C code, no heavy dependency stack, familiar full-screen editing, and decades of packaging history. It represents the side of Unix editor culture that prefers approachability and WordStar muscle memory over vi or Emacs orthodoxy.

Timeline

• 1988: First ancestor editor e written for a local BBS on an Encore Multimax.
• 1989: e released publicly on alt.sources around 1989 or 1990.
• 1990s: j renamed to JOE, joe1.0 rewrites the editor around gap-buffer structures and joerc key bindings.
• 1995: joe2.8 becomes the last Allen release before a long pause.
• 2001: SourceForge-era maintainers revive the project around joe2.9.
• 2004: joe3.0 adds syntax highlighting and UTF-8 support.
• 2026: JOE 4.8 source release appears on the official site.

Related projects

• WordStar is the major keybinding and feel influence named by the official site.
• GNU Emacs is the other named influence, especially for powerful editing features.
• jmacs, jstar, jpico, and rjoe are installed JOE variants that emulate other editor styles or restrict editing.

Sources

• The official changelog supplies 4.x feature evolution.
• The official history page supplies the origin story, renaming path, 2.x pause, SourceForge revival, and 3.0 return.
• The official home page supplies the distribution, dependency, variant, and editor-culture positioning.