git.md

@@ -10,6 +10,16 @@ On Linux, you can install git with the package manager. For example, with Ubuntu
 ```
 sudo apt install git
 ```
+Git will open an text editor when running certain commands such as "git merge" or "git commit". The default editor is [vim](https://www.vim.org/) which is rather difficult to use. If you don't plan to use vim, set the environment variable `EDITOR` to the name of your editor by adding the following line at the end of your `~/.bashrc` file:
+```
+export EDITOR=XXXX
+``` 
+where `XXXX` is the name of the editor. It could be `nano`, `emacs`, or any other user-friendly text editor available on Linux.
+You can install nano, or emacs with the a command similar to:
+```
+sudo apt install nano
+```
+
 If you work on windows, git is not provided by Microsoft with the OS. You must install it before the next steps.
 
 ## Download git (Windows)
@@ -22,7 +32,7 @@ Double-click on the installer, then follow the instructions. Choose the default
 
 ![](git_editor.png)
 
-Choose one editor that you know well instead of vim.
+Choose one editor that you know well instead of vim (e.g. NotePad++ on Windows).
 
 ## Configure git