Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install jove with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix

Emacs-style editor with vi-like memory, CPU, and size requirements. Version 4.17.5.5 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install jove

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install jove

MacPorts ports tree · editors/jove/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install jove

Debian stable package indexes · jove · source: deb.debian.org

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#jove

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/jo/jove/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Emacs-style editor with vi-like memory, CPU, and size requirements

Commands and aliases

  • jove
  • teachjove

history

Project history and usage

JOVE, Jonathan's Own Version of Emacs, is a small Emacs-style editor with roots in early BSD Unix. The maintained GitHub repository describes it as a venerable 1982, fast, small Emacs clone originally written for 2.8BSD on a PDP-11.

Project history

JOVE was created by Jonathan Payne as a compact Emacs-like editor for small Unix systems. The project README emphasizes portability across old and new systems, manual configuration rather than an autoconf-style setup, and historically constrained targets such as PDP-11, DOS, Macintosh, Windows, Cygwin, BSD, Solaris, and Linux.

The distribution's documentation records a long-lived maintenance culture. Jonathan Payne retained overall control while D. Hugh Redelmeier coordinated day-to-day fixes and portability work through the jovehacks mailing list; acknowledgements name contributors who helped with pty code, Berkeley features, PC and Macintosh versions, Win32 support, mouse support, testing, and portability.

Adoption history

JOVE's adoption predates GitHub and modern packaging. It became a recognizable small editor in Unix culture because it offered Emacs-like keybindings and behavior without the size and extension machinery of full Emacs. The input metadata records packaging in Homebrew, Debian, MacPorts, Nix, and Ubuntu, showing that the editor remained packagable decades after its early BSD origins.

How it is used

JOVE is used as a terminal text editor for users who want Emacs-like editing with a smaller binary and simpler model. Its documentation includes jove and teachjove manpages, a global jove.rc, a per-user ~/.joverc, and manuals adapted from early Emacs documentation with JOVE-specific changes.

Why package nerds care

JOVE is historically significant because it is a living fossil of editor packaging: small enough for constrained Unix systems, Emacs-like enough to matter culturally, and portable enough to survive into modern package managers. It helps explain why Unix repositories still carry multiple Emacs-like editors instead of treating GNU Emacs as the only lineage.

Timeline

  • 1982: The GitHub repository description identifies JOVE as originating in this era for 2.8BSD on PDP-11.
  • 1986-2002: The README copyright notice covers Jonathan Payne's long maintenance period.
  • 2004-07: The README was updated with Unix build and portability guidance.
  • 2020: GitHub release metadata begins for the 4.17.2.7 candidate series.
  • 2025-05: Release 4.17.5.5 was published on GitHub.

Related projects

  • JOVE is related to Gosling Emacs, GNU Emacs, teach-emacs tutorial material, and other small Emacs-like editors such as mg, Zile, and JOE. Its package-manager neighbors are usually classic Unix editors rather than modern IDEs.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 8 platform targets.
  • Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
~/.joverc

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
jovecliglobal executable
teachjovecliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08
manager version4.17.5.5
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/jonmacs/jove

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/jonmacs/jovenone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:jove
Version4.17.5.5
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/jove
Homepagehttps://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Jove
Repositoryhttps://github.com/jonmacs/jove
Upstream docshttps://github.com/jonmacs/jove#readme
Licensejove
Source archivehttps://github.com/jonmacs/jove/archive/refs/tags/4.17.5.5.tar.gz
Build dependenciesgroff
Uses from macOSncurses
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namejove
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

jove 4.17.5.4-1

Jonathan's Own Version of Emacs - a compact, powerful editor

https://github.com/jonmacs/jove

sudo apt install jove
  • Section: editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 3 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Jove
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: jove from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Nix95%

jove

nix profile install nixpkgs#jove
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Jove
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/jo/jove/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
Ubuntu apt95%

jove 4.17.5.3-1

Jonathan's Own Version of Emacs - a compact, powerful editor

https://github.com/jonmacs/jove

sudo apt install jove
  • Section: universe/editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 4 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 3 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Jove
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: jove from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
MacPorts95%

jove

sudo port install jove
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Jove
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: editors/jove/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Related tools

  • groffBuild dependency declared by Homebrew.

Same workflow

  • mgShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emacs-like, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • neShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors, unix.
  • adShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • aoeuiShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • geditShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.
  • leShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, text-editors.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment