[em500]

You're assuming Linux. BSD distributions don't install nano by default. vi is a mandatory POSIX utility, nano is not.

[_delirium]

This doesn't help the problem of knowing what to type on any system up-front, but fwiw, FreeBSD ships with a nano-like editor in the base install, ee(1).

[em500]

And what about any of the other BSD? Or Solaris? Might as well bite the bullet and learn some basic POSIX vi (or ed).