# Install zile with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, zypper Text editor development kit. Version 2.6.4 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:zile ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install zile ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install zile ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: editors/zile/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add zile ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: zile from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install zile ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: zile from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install zile ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: zile from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#zile ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/zi/zile/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install zile ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: zile from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:zile - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2.6.4 - **Source summary:** Text editor development kit - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - zile (cli) - zile (alias) ## Dependencies - bdw-gc - gettext - glib - libgee ## Build dependencies - help2man - pkgconf ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2.6.4 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/ - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage GNU Zile, short for Zile Is Lossy Emacs, is a lightweight Emacs clone for small systems and quick editing sessions. Its package history is interesting because it is a GNU command-line editor whose explicit value is being much smaller and simpler than GNU Emacs while preserving enough Emacs muscle memory to be useful. ### Project history The AUTHORS file credits Sandro Sigala with conceiving and writing Zile single-handedly up to version 1.6.1, Reuben Thomas with maintenance and releases from 1.6.1 onward, David A. Capello with contributions from 1.7 to 2.0, and Scott Lawrence with the small Lisp interpreter basis. The README describes Zile as a GNU project developed through GNU Savannah. Zile has changed implementation strategy over time. Older descriptions and packages treated it as a small C Emacs clone; the current README says GNU Zile is written in Vala using POSIX.1-2008 APIs and can be built on other platforms through gnulib. The NEWS file records that the 2.6.0.90 beta rewrote Zile in Vala, reducing the source size from about 8 kLoC for the C version to about 6 kLoC, and the 2.6.1 stable notes say the program had been completely rewritten in Vala since 2.4.x. The modern project remains deliberately modest. The FAQ says Zile exists for systems and situations where Emacs is unsuitable, including small systems and quick editing sessions; it also tells users who need more power to use Emacs or another editor rather than expecting Zile to grow without limit. ### Adoption history Zile's adoption is the quiet kind common to small Unix editors: it appears in many package managers because it is useful as a fallback Emacs-like editor, a rescue-system editor, or a tiny install for users who know Emacs keys but do not want a full Emacs package. GNU itself positions Zile as the minimalist answer in the Emacs FAQ, saying it has basic Emacs editing features and is useful in extremely space-restricted environments. That endorsement gave the package a clear niche even though it was never intended to replace full Emacs for serious Lisp-heavy workflows. ### How it is used Users run zile as a terminal editor for basic file editing with Emacs-style key bindings. The workflow is intentionally familiar: quick buffers, command prompts, search and replace, init-file customization, and enough Lisp-like behavior for editor commands without carrying the full Emacs runtime. Package maintainers mostly care that Zile is a small GNU Autotools-style package with gnulib portability pieces. Its README documents release tarballs, Savannah git sources, make check tests, and platform behavior such as POSIX APIs and curses integration. ### Why package nerds care Zile is a classic package-collection entry: small, old-school, GNU-hosted, and useful in the exact scenarios where installing the famous full-size tool is too much. It belongs next to nano, mg, jed, and zile-like editor packages in the long tail of terminal-editor choices. Its Vala rewrite is also a neat maintenance story. A tiny editor can stay tiny in user-facing scope while radically changing implementation language underneath, which matters to distro maintainers watching dependencies, generated C sources, and portability layers. ### Timeline - Pre-1.6.1: Sandro Sigala conceives and writes Zile through the early releases. - 1.6.1: Reuben Thomas joins and becomes responsible for maintenance and releases. - 1.7-2.0: David A. Capello contributes features including regex search. - 2020-12-04: Zile 2.6.0.90 beta records the Vala rewrite. - 2021-03-24: Zile 2.6.1 stable notes that the program has been completely rewritten in Vala since 2.4.x. - 2025-03-15: Zile 2.6.4 fixes large-file read/write bugs. ### Related projects - GNU Emacs is the full editor whose basic command feel Zile imitates. - mg and Jed are other lightweight Emacs-like terminal editors often considered in the same niche. - gnulib supplies portability code used by Zile's build and source tree. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** zile - **Version Scheme:** 1 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - zile - 2.6.2-2+b2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: zile from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | very small Emacs-subset editor | https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/ - Nix - zile: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/zi/zile/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - zile - 2.6.2-2build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: zile from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | very small Emacs-subset editor | https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/ - apk - zile - 2.6.2-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: zile from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNU Zile is a text editor development kit. | https://www.gnu.org/software/zile - apk - zile-doc - 2.6.2-r1: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: zile-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | GNU Zile is a text editor development kit. (documentation) | https://www.gnu.org/software/zile - dnf - zile - 2.6.4-1.fc44: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: zile from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Zile Is Lossy Emacs | http://www.gnu.org/software/zile/ - zypper - zile - 2.6.4-1.3: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: zile from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Lightweight Emacs Clone | https://www.gnu.org/software/zile/ - MacPorts - zile: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: editors/zile/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Productivity CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/productivity-cli-packages/) - Matched curated productivity category metadata from av.db. - [gettext](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gettext/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [glib](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glib/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [help2man](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/help2man/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [emacs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/emacs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, gnu, productivity, text-editor. - [joe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/joe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: c, cli, productivity, text-editor. - [moe](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/moe/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, gnu, productivity, text-editor. - [amp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/amp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor. - [enter-tex](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/enter-tex/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor. - [fresh-editor](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fresh-editor/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor. - [jupp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/jupp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor. - [kibi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kibi/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor. - [a2ps](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/a2ps/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: bdw, bdw-gc, cli, gnu, productivity. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/zile.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/zile.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph