| | farresito on Aug 3, 2015 | parent | context | favorite | on: Vim: Takeaways from One Year of Typing
vim overhyped as an editor? It might be overhyped as a programming tool (you won't write 2x the same amount of lines in a day; you will not be 5x more productive), but as an editor, it deserves every single bit of hype that it has. No other editor stands next to vim. A lot of people dislike editors. It's fine. There are a million tools out there that help people become more productive programmers. You might enjoy IntelliJ or you might not. You might like cscope or hate it. Tt doesn't matter. One needs to find the tools that helps him in their day to day job. But if you need an editor, vim is no doubt the single best out there. |  | | melling on Aug 3, 2015 | next [–]
The great think about VIM is that it lets you do the same about of work with less effort. Over your lifetime, you might type half as many keystrokes to do the same amount of work. Look at VimGolf and the following video to see what I mean. http://www.vimgolf.com https://vimeo.com/53144573 - Precision editing at the speed of thought All editors should place an emphasis on minimal typing. Emacs has a few cool precision features too: http://emacsrocks.com/e10.html - AceJump | | | | farresito on Aug 3, 2015 | parent | next [–]
The thing I appreciate the most about vim is not the fact that you can be a little bit faster with a lot of things; it's the fact that you can edit code for hours and you won't get tired at all. At least you won't get even close to as tired as you would were you using a mouse. It's simply the least painful of all the ways out there. I guess it's the main reason I use it. Thank you for the links. I do use the AceJump equivalent for vim, and I have it mapped to <space>. It's quite nice, actually :). The only difference is that instead of pressing <space> and getting all the jumps available for each word out there, I press <space> followed by two letters, and it jumps directy to the word which starts with those two letters, or it simply shows me links to words that start with said letters if there's more than a word starting with those letters. | | | | mateuszf on Aug 3, 2015 | prev | next [–]
> No other editor stands next to vim And no other operating system stands next to emacs. | | | | farresito on Aug 3, 2015 | parent | next [–]
I knew someone would answer that. It was just a matter of time. | | | | dkns on Aug 3, 2015 | root | parent | next [–]
We need some sort of variation of Godwin's Law when it comes to text editors. Something like 'the probability of someone mentioning emacs as great operating system in any discussion about text editors = 1'. | | | | FreeFull on Aug 3, 2015 | prev | next [–]
I've switched from vim to kakoune some time ago. vim does have the advantage of a bigger ecosystem, but I do believe it is possible to have an editor better than it. | | | | farresito on Aug 3, 2015 | parent | next [–]
I've taken a look at kakoune. It's very similar to vim, isn't it? When I say vim, I also mean neovim, which currently is already superior to vim in a lot of ways. | | | | FreeFull on Aug 3, 2015 | root | parent | next [–]
The author of kakoune initially intended to rewrite vim from scratch, so there is definitely a similarity. A big difference is that kakoune operates in terms of selections rather than motions, with built-in support for things like multiple cursors as well. I find it more intuitive to use than vim, and just as powerful. | | | | farresito on Aug 3, 2015 | root | parent | next [–]
Interesting. I've already given it a short try and I can see some differences. Do you use it as your main editor when you need to use an editor? | | | | FreeFull on Aug 3, 2015 | root | parent | next [–]
Yes, I do use it as my main editor (I have "vim" aliased to start kakoune instead). Knowledge on how to use kakoune doesn't seem to interfere when I need to use vim for some reason (such as ssh-ing into some machine that doesn't have kakoune). | | | | martanne on Aug 3, 2015 | root | parent | prev | next [–]
| | | | sea6ear on Aug 3, 2015 | prev | next [–]
Yet the ancient Evil* from the elder world that is Emacs plots to consume Vim and absorb it's functionality. When that day is fulfilled what other editor will be able to stand? * http://emacswiki.org/emacs/Evil | | | | sankho on Aug 3, 2015 | prev [–]
nonono read the rest I love the VIM! But... there's an abundance of internet quotes like "No other editor stands next to vim" (see parent comment), so I wanted to make sure the reader didn't think I was proselytizing. | | | FAQs
It might be overhyped as a programming tool (you won't write 2x the same amount of lines in a day; you will not be 5x more productive), but as an editor, it deserves every single bit of hype that it has. No other editor stands next to vim.
Why do people not use Vim? ›
It's not setup to be an IDE, nor is it particularly easy to do so especially if you don't already have in mind what you want to do, and of course once you have it's going to slow down a bit because it's doing more stuff. The more you have it do, the slower it's going to be. I've heard people complain about vimscript...
Why do programmers prefer Vim? ›
We have learned that Vim is a powerful text editor popular among developers. It's based on shortcuts, called the Vim language, which can make coding and writing faster and more efficient. With Vim, you can jump to any specific text position and rapidly make precise edits.
Is vim good or bad? ›
Vim is as far of an IDE as it can be. It has evolved quite a bit but not to a point where it can be considered as an IDE, plain and simple. If you want an "Integrated Development Environment", then look elsewhere. If you want a good text editor for your "Development Environment", then Vim might be it.
What is the disadvantage of Vim? ›
The only downside to vim ... it has so so so many features and all of them linked to a keyboard shortcut it will take time to get proficient. They are, among text editors, completely different applications.
Is Vim still relevant? ›
On the other hand, Vim has a long-standing legacy as an editor and is likely to remain relevant even 20–30 years from now.
What should I use instead of Vim? ›
Replace, no. But you can add vim in addition to notepad. But to say in “window think” I tend to prefer Notepad++ on Windows for a lot of things, especially as it allows multiple tabs.
Why use vi instead of Vim? ›
For simple text editing tasks, both vi and vim will behave similarly. However, vi is preferred because we can expect it to be on POSIX compliant (or at least mostly compliant) systems. Moreover, regarding the performance, vim requires a little more resources than vi due to its more extensive features.
Why do people use Vim over IDE? ›
Understanding the Underlying Processes: While IDEs provide powerful debugging and automation features, they often abstract away the intricate details of program execution. Vim, being a lightweight text editor, encourages a deeper understanding of the underlying processes.
Does Facebook use Vim? ›
Facebook engineers have written millions of lines of code. There is no mandated development environment. Some developers use vim. Some use Emacs.
The reason I switched is that plugins in vim are more of a pain to configure and they are usually less maintained and polished than their vscode equivalents.
Why is Vim the best editor? ›
Benefits of Using Vim. Speed and Efficiency: Vim is designed to be an efficient text editor. Its modal editing and commands can help you work faster and more efficiently. You can use shortcuts and commands to perform complex operations with fewer keystrokes.
Why is Vim difficult? ›
Why is it so hard to learn vim and stick to it, well meanly because of vims steep learning curve which is different than most other stuff you try to learn. To learn vim, you need to create muscle memory, do not try to memorize every single command the first day, it is impossible.
Can I use Vim for everything? ›
Vim allows you to customize basically everything. The amount of things you can adjust is endless, you can even interact with source code, write extensions and rewrite every single command/shortcut you wish. That power, however, comes with proportional difficulties in usage.
Is nano better than Vim? ›
Making the Right Choice. Ultimately, the choice between Vim and Nano boils down to individual preferences, proficiency levels, and workflow requirements. For seasoned users accustomed to modal editing and extensive customization, Vim remains the undisputed champion.
Is Vim the most powerful editor? ›
At first glance, the Vim text editor may seem a little austere. And yet it is one of the preferred tools of developers. There are several reasons for this: Its power: Vim users benefit from powerful search and replace functions.
Who are the famous users of Vim? ›
Famous Vim users (that are not famous for using Vim)
- Rasmus Lerdorf - the creator of PHP. ...
- Larry Wall - the creator of Perl. ...
- Katrina Owen. ...
- Paul Graham - Y-Combinator co-founder. ...
- Harry Roberts - inuit. ...
- Gary Bernhardt - Destroy all Software. ...
- Jeffrey Way - Laracasts founder. ...
- Chris Oliver - Go Rails founder.
For simple text editing tasks, both vi and vim will behave similarly. However, vi is preferred because we can expect it to be on POSIX compliant (or at least mostly compliant) systems. Moreover, regarding the performance, vim requires a little more resources than vi due to its more extensive features.
Is Vim or Emacs better? ›
Emacs, with its extensive features, is ideal for those who prefer a single, integrated development environment. Since Vim is more, it's preferred by those who need a powerful editor that integrates seamlessly into different environments and workflows.
