PearAI 1.8.9 Advanced Editor Review

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Getting Started with PearAI: An Open-Source AI Code Editor for Fedora Linux

If you are a developer or someone curious about tools that help you write code faster and smarter, you will want to take a look at PearAI. In short, it is an open-source AI-powered code editor which aims to bring together a familiar coding environment with integrated AI workflows.

What Makes PearAI Interesting

• It is built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, so many of the UI and workflows will feel familiar. GitHub repository
• It includes built-in AI features like chat, code generation, and context-awareness of your codebase.
• It is open-source, allowing community contributions and full transparency. Why Open Source

License

According to the official GitHub repository, PearAI is released under the MIT license. This means you can use, modify, and distribute it with minimal restrictions.

Installing PearAI on Fedora Linux

While PearAI is available for various platforms, this guide focuses on installing it on Fedora Linux.

Step 1: Check CPU compatibility for AVX or AVX2 FMA

lscpu | grep -o -w 'avx\|avx2\|fma'

Step 2: Download PearAI

Visit the official download page and download the Linux version. If an RPM package is available:

wget https://github.com/trypear/pearai-app/releases/latest/download/PearAI-linux.tar.gz

Step 3: Decompress Tarball

tar -xvf PearAI-linux.tar.gz

Step 4: Run Installer

cd PearAI-Installer
sudo bash pearai_manager.sh

Step 4: Launch PearAI

Launch from the terminal or your desktop environment. You may need to set up API keys or accounts depending on the AI model integrations you choose to use.

Why Use PearAI in Your Workflow

• Familiar editor interface based on Visual Studio Code
• AI chat and code generation built into the editor
• Open-source with an MIT license
• Good for experimentation, learning, and productivity boosts

Note: Some features are still in beta or experimental stages. The ecosystem is still growing, and some users may encounter limitations compared to more established editors.

Screenshots and Screencast

👉 Screencast showing a beginner session in PearAI—editing, saving files, and navigating buffers.

Requirements For Programming Text Editor

Glossary:

Code Editor

Designed for writing and editing source code.

IDE

Integrated Development Environment combines various tools need for software development.

Plugin

Software component that adds specific functionality.

Theme

Preset package containing graphical appearance to customize look and feel.

Open source

Freely available for possible modification and redistribution.

SCM

Source code management use to manage and track modifications to a source code repository.

LMB

Left Mouse Button (LMB) or left click

MMB

Middle Mouse Button (MMB) or scroll wheel

Test Tools

Test System

Name	Description
CPU	Ryzen 5 5600GT @ 3.60GHz.
Memory	32GB DDR4.
Operating System	Fedora Linux Workstation 42.
Desktop Environment	Gnome 48.
Name	Description

Test Suite

Name	Description
Large File	1GB human-readable text.
Regex File	Text with word “PearAI” repeated.
Syntax File	PHP file containing HTML, CSS & JavaScript.
Media File	Smiley face or Tux Linux JPEG file.
Java Version	OpenJDK 21.0.8.
PHP Version	PHP 8.4.13.
Python Version	Python 3.13.7.
PearAI Version	1.8.9.
Name	Description

Test Scoring

1. Each feature has two parts.
2. Score of zero indicates a missing feature.
3. A part of a feature is work a score of 0.5.

Three bias elimination steps were utilized. The editor was used for at least three years on different platforms. Attempts were made to get stable plug-ins for missing features. The same editor was compared between the one in the repository, the developers website, and the compiled version if applicable.

Selecting Editor Version

For this review, PearAI was installed using the instructions from the developers website and it did not require additional plugins.

Features

1. The theme can be native for the editor in terms of the background. PearAI dark and light themes can be created or downloaded and changed. The score for the theme was a perfect 1.0.
2. Dragging and dropping a text file into the editor opens a new tab or buffer. It was possible to specify the tab location during the drag and drop operation. The score for drag and drop into editor was 1.0.
3. Opening a very large text file did not crash PearAI. PearAI was able to open or to edit the large file. The score for opening a large file was 1.0.
4. Multiple documents can opened in multiple tabs or buffers. Tear-off tabs work and PearAI does have a feature to open in new window as a new instance which is handy for multiple monitors. The score for multiple documents was 1.0.
5. Multiple editors can be opened as new tabs with drag options. Each tab window view can be split either vertically or horizontally as a multiple editor view in Wayland display server protocol. The score for multiple editor view was 1.0.
6. Creating non-project files is possible. Non-project files can be opened on the command line. The score for creating non-project files was a perfect 1.0.
7. Soft word wrap can be enabled in Settings -> Commonly Used -> Editor Word Wrap. Automatic soft wrap for documents is available from the PearAI View menu. The score for word wrap was a perfect 1.0.
8. Spell check does work as words are typed by enabling the extension Code Spell Checker. Spelling errors are shown in opened documents. The score for spell check was 1.0.
9. Word count can be enabled using the extension Live Word Count. Word count for the current buffer or file is not enabled. Selection word count is not available as part of word count. The score for word count was 0.0.
10. Go to line can jump to a specified line using CTRL-G and entering the line number. It is possible to jump to either the first or last line. The score for go to line is a perfect 1.0.
11. Indentation can default to user-defined tab stops. Children are automatically indented. The score for indentation was a perfect 1.0.
12. Fonts can be dynamically scaled with custom keyboard shortcuts CTRL-+/-. The system font can be bypassed and a new editor font and size can be set. The score for fonts was a perfect 1.0.
13. Find and replace using regular expressions can be utilized for all open documents in the current session. Find and replace will work for the current document or a selection in the current document. The score for find and replacing using regular expressions was a perfect 1.0.
14. Multiple language syntax highlighting in one file is enabled. Each language has code-sensitive syntax colours. The score for multiple language syntax highlighting was a perfect 1.0.
15. Code folding does work for markup languages such as HTML. Code folding also works for programming languages such as Java. The score for code folding was 1.0.
16. Selecting rectangular block per column works using the Selection menu or a custom keyboard shortcut. Rectangular block selection does not work properly with word wrap enabled. The score for selecting rectangular block was 0.5.
17. Multiple cursors is available using CTRL. Search multiple selection does not work. The score for multiple selection was 0.5.
18. Distraction-free mode to hide panes works. Line numbers can not be toggled to improve distraction-free mode. The score for distraction-free was a perfect 1.0.
19. The file manager can be enabled by default. Media files can be dragged and dropped into the file manager pane. The score for file manager was 1.0.
20. Terminal is be enabled. The terminal does follow folder. Terminal can execute system commands. The score for terminal was 1.0.

Results

PearAI is a lightweight IDE. By default, the PearAI editor is missing required features that can be enabled or implemented by plugins. For my required features, the PearAI editor scored 95.0% or 9.50 out of 10.

More From Edward Ojambo

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• Need help installing or migrating to PearAI? Contact me here

Final Thoughts

If you want to bring AI into your coding without losing control or flexibility, PearAI is worth a look. Fedora users will appreciate how easy it is to integrate PearAI into their development workflow. Give it a try and explore what open-source AI-powered development looks like.