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Vim is built different
(lemmy.ml)
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this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2025
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Go beyond the lazy memes and see for yourself why it has such a loyal cult!
https://openvim.com/
Because they grew up with it? I cant think of any other reason. I used it in college for a class bcz my old as fuck professor required it. Its obtuse, old, and doesn't have a lot of functionality of modern code editors.
The only people who want to use it are people who started with it decades ago, or people who were forced to use it, and now think they're superior somehow to everyone else who doesn't use it.
I don't fit into any of those categories.
Obtuse? Yeah. The keyboard focus means natural discoverability is low. But I immediately preferred modal editing once I learned it.
Old? Eh, most people use Neovim nowadays and write plugins in lua. Even in OG Vim, Vim9script broke compatibility for a better dev experience.
Functionality? Out of the box, it is just a text editor. But only VSCode might have a more active plugin ecosystem. ALE has been a thing for ages if it's LSP support you're looking for.
It's not better, it's not worse, I'm not in any way superior for using it, but I love it for a reason.
oof now that is a lazy argument, I hope you were being sarcastic!
How is this a lazy argument? Most people dont use Fortran, Cobol, or Assembly anymore for the same reason. There are better alternatives out there.
Vim is a style of keybindings centered around only needing a keyboard, what do programming languages have to do with my point?
I'm not an old hat programmer and have never been forced to use VIM, but I started learning how to navigate because of the potential efficiencies that comes with it, and because I like to learn new things. I'm not good at it, but I've gotten a lot better, and I will continue to do so because it's enjoyable, neovim is extremely customizable, and the vim key bindings can be used in vscode for when I use that. I also use Linux, so it felt like the right direction to go, but mostly for the memes.
I don't use it for high level language coding like python, JS, and definitely nothing.net related like c#, but it's solid for lower level like C.
You don't have to enjoy it, but there are some extremely skilled programmers out there that can code laps around other extremely skills programmers just because they use vim/neovim and can navigate at a stupid fast rate. Watching some like the Primeagen on YT is humbling.
I agree with you wholeheartedly but I wanted to elaborate in a complimentary direction to your point, I think the benefits of knowing how to navigate only using a keyboard with Vim (which importantly is much less prone to RSI than something like emacs or mouse centric workflows for most people) gives a programmer are the same as they do for someone writing a book in markdown using vim.
When you describe the advantage of vim's modal keybindings and navigation, it sounds like you are describing an advantage in speed but it is really like a decrease in executive function load about the how which frees you up to think farther ahead and consider more interesting questions... kind of like how people describe the mystical power of AI except not bullshit, just a basic benefit to tooling that slots into your body mechanics and mind like a finely tuned instrument... but at the same time nobody NEEDs to learn vim. If you don't like it, forget it, what we are saying is don't bash it without understanding the beauty to Vim style keybindings independent of any particular software including vim or vi themselves.
I was also forced to use it at uni (a few decades ago), but didn't start using it until professionally until several years into my dev career. I promise that I don't think I'm superior because I use it. But I do encourage junior developers to learn it for reasons that appealed to me.
Among other things, appealing things are modal editing (the biggest advantage IMO), it runs on pretty much on any server you will be ssh'ing into, less IDE lock in. And, there's a bunch of additional things that other editors do that I think Vim does better: regex is first class in the environment, extensible workflows, macros. Then there are definite advantages being able to quickly navigate from the home row.
I agree that some people will demonstrate their enthusiasm by bragging and being pretentious. But I don't think that's why they stick with Vim.
If you can't think of a reason, then you could have just asked. Or read a few threads here or somewhere else. But instead you went forward typing your oh so very informed opinion, which itself is a good invitation for "shut up, lousy know-nothing type of human" kind of response. I do hope you'll do better next time you see a piece of lore and culture you have no clue about
Seems like I struck a chord. I get this same response anytime vim comes up in a thread. Its almost as bad as the linux gatekeeping. Apparently I'm not allowed to have an opinion that differs from the group.
"It sucks because I can't see why it is even useful" is not an opinion, it is ignorance, and you have already shown it to be a willful one. No wonder you get shat on repeatedly
I've used vim, and I didn't like it. That is the definition of an opinion.
“I didn’t like it” is an opinion. “Vim is dumb because I can’t think of a reason people would like it, and everyone who uses it is an elitist asshole” is ignorance.
Nope, that's not a definition of opinion. And this opinion is leagues away from your original post. If you can't see this - be my guest, go on making up dreams of " I stuck a chord" and whatever else you are imagining