If the EDITOR environment variable is not set, the Debian policy recommends to use the /usr/bin/editor program as default editor. This file is managed via the dpkg alternatives mechanism and typically used in Debian/Ubuntu and derivatives to configure the default editor. See section 11.4 of the Debian policy [1]. Therefor prefer /usr/bin/editor over specific editors if available. [1] https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-customized-programs.html