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Simply curious, but why do people use Vim when they can use a proper IDE like VS code?

I was never a fan of Vim. I simply liked it for the keyboard shortcuts, but in VS code, you can use a Vim extension and still have the keyboard shortcuts :/

I don't see the point in Vim.

Comments
  • 25
    Just don't blame the people who use VIM. They gonna find and tell you 10000000 reasons why they use vim and you should too. Just don't do it.
  • 7
    @Biggy
    I simply hope I don't regret asking.
  • 10
    I use vim for minor corrections and config files and whatnot, but I usually use VSCode (with vim extension of course) for writing any real code.
  • 10
    Here we are....
  • 10
    I use Vim because I work with terminals a lot (without a monitor). Vim has a longer history and more supporters. If you are new, you should use vscode. There is not much utilitarian advantage of vim over vscode.
  • 9
    Yes, almost every editor out there has a Vim mode/plugin. All of them fail miserably at simulating Vim in my experience.

    For most things it's just more efficient and comfortable.
    I also use VSCode now and then, and IntelliJ for Java. I don't see any reason to prefer them over Vim though.
  • 12
    Vs code is not an IDE either. But to get to your point: familiarity. Vi is basically on every Linux server and because of that people wanted to git gud with it. The same can be said of Nano though.

    I guess it boils down to preference. I started with Emacs but that is because I am a Lisp fanatic. You can normally see me in VS Code though, it really is a good text editor.
  • 7
    Let me just add that famous "Vi Vi Vi, the number of the beast" ~Richy Stallman
  • 8
    Easy, neither vim or vs code are IDEs, both are text editors and vim is also extendible.

    **Says while coding on atom because fuck vs code ***
  • 6
    @AleCx04 I like nano. (:
  • 3
    @mundo03
    Atom is so slow tho lol.
  • 4
    Vim is good when you're ssh'ed into a console. Its almost always installed everywhere. I can fly through a document but that's after battling a long learning curve and remembering the shortcuts.

    For actual development, I'd never use vim.
  • 3
    @Michelle have not experienced the slowness.
  • 4
    @Wack i like it too :)
  • 3
    @runfrodorun damn you're right, my bad
  • 7
    Because on a Chromebook, it's all I have.
  • 5
    Simply because VIM has way more features than VS code, and I don't have to leave the safe haven of my terminal to get stuff done.
  • 5
    🔫🔥 shots fired!

    I'm with you brother... Fuck vim and its convoluted nonsense.
  • 6
    I have been using vim as my only text editor for a bit over a week now (compared to other people here that's nothing @runfrodorun . 😅) but I have to say that I really like it.

    You don't really have to 'learn' how to use vim, it just comes to you as you use it and soon you will try to use 'j' to scroll down in your browser. (this happens to me more than it should)

    I just really like that you can do so much without using the mouse. Keeping your hands on the keyboard all the time makes you so much faster and using a command while in vim is as easy as pressing
    :!<command>

    I just really like how simplistic it is in the start but you can configure it just as you like. As you grow vim grows with you :)

    P.S. Why did my phone correct vim to 'cum'?
  • 4
    @runfrodorun I gotta look for an add-on for cum like behavior in firefox
  • 4
  • 6
    @404response

    The phrase

    "Unwanted ejection"

    Is now burned into my mind.....
  • 2
    I just use vim because it is easy accessible using terminal... I don’t have to open another software 😂😂
    And I do like my terminal aesthetics for programming as well ( transparency and stuff )
    And vs code just seems overkill for me... vim just feels... minimal...
    Same for emacs and that is what I use right now 😁
    So... I basically use whatever that is easy to use at the given time 😎😎
    M lazy u know 😂😂😂😂😂😂
  • 2
    Gnu/Linux is my integrated development environment. Vim is just what I use to edit source code.

    Also vim is pretty easy to use as well as powerful once you become accustomed to it. Not hard to learn, it just takes more time than most editors.
  • 1
    Why do people start this conversation over and over again? Just work with a tool that you are most comfortable with. People just create some sort of religion out of this stuff. If someone is comfortable writing his shit in fucking MS Editor than just let him do so. Smh
  • 2
    @dontbeevil i do, but fuck it anyway.
  • 2
    Vim is very extendable and light on resources. Opening larger files with it barely shows a dent in the system resources. Atom, as well as other Electron based applications, take up far more to open and edit files of similar sizes. The question is how much resources are you willing to give up and the benefits you get in return. Some of the benefits of most IDEs are worth the cost, however due to the modularity of Vim plugins you can get functionality that is close enough. That is the reason I choose Vim. That and many Unix and Linux based systems already have it installed.
  • 2
    Emacs is my old love. Vi is that hard to get girl who has strict demands. Fail one and get kicked in rhetoric balls.

    Starting to like Vim. But only because I get some of them demands.
  • 2
    Quick and right in the terminal :) no need to use the boring mouse
  • 3
    @ewpratten I can probably find a spare laptop like the one I gave @hyperlisk if you need. Chromebooks suck.
  • 4
    @n3xus ya. That would be nice, except my parents would probably freak about some random person giving me a computer.
  • 4
    @n3xus also, what specs?
  • 3
    @runfrodorun The FF addon Vimium works with the newest version too.
  • 2
    @runfrodorun do you have any suggestions for plugins or for my vimrc for a new vim user like me?
  • 3
    @elliotalderson
    Is there something wrong with aking this question?? It was simpmy out of curiosity, if you have a problem then you may dismiss yourself.
  • 3
    @404response once you are comfortable with the editor I recommend reading: http://learnvimscriptthehardway.stevelosh.com/...
    (free online version). It will give you a very in depth understanding of the language that the editor is built around.

    Don't worry about customizing your vimrc. In the beginning don't install many feature adding plugins as vim itself can already be overwhelming.

    If you want a feature, try to write some of the functionality yourself (often times it's not that hard to do).

    Over time your vimrc will become monolithic, but it only becomes unmaintainable if you put other people's vimscript in it.

    Some tips for a new user:
    * Become comfortable with hjkl
    * Make it a habit to jump back into normal mode when you finish typing
    * Learn to touch type if you can't do so already

    All that being said, here are the vimrc tricks I blindly started out with:

    " Vim won't try to be Vi
    set nocompatible

    " Nice built in indentation plugin
    filetype plugin indent on

    " Disable arrow keys in normal mode and insert mode.
    " This is an awesome habit breaker!
    inoremap <Up> <nop>
    nnoremap <Up> <nop>
    inoremap <Down> <nop>
    nnoremap <Down> <nop>
    inoremap <Right> <nop>
    nnoremap <Right> <nop>
    inoremap <Left> <nop>
    nnoremap <Left> <nop>

    " Enable soft tabs
    set shiftwidth=4
    set tabstop=4
    set expandtab

    " Enable line numbering relative to current line (helps with navigation).
    set number
    set relativenumber

    " === End of vimrc ===

    Stack exchange has a vim site and there is a built in manual (:help) as well.

    Vim is all about habit, the longer you use it the easier it gets.

    Cheers.

    Edit:
    vimperator is a great addon for Firefox

    vimperatorrc recommendation:

    set gui=none
    noremap j 3j
    noremap k 3k
  • 2
    @dontbeevil Imho Atom is like a more bloated variant of VS Code. Last time I used it there were quite a few bugs as well.
  • 2
    @runfrodorun Did you try Neovim? I started using it some time ago, it's not very different from Vim(and fully compatible) but I like how it can run a terminal buffer in parallel.
  • 2
    Little system resource.
    I don't have to go out of the terminal.
    Extra useful with tmux, especially when ssh'ing to a server/raspberry pi.
    Plugins.
    Keyboard shortcuts.
    All preferences imported by a file(.vimrc).

    Also it's good to know your way around it, especially if you're gonna be working with servers and stuff like that.
  • 1
    @7root Remembering all at once is impossible, I just looked up the basics somewhere and whenever I needed a certain feature I just googled it and it either had already a shortcut or a plugin for it.

    When you use it long enough and experiment a little you can do a lot of magical stuff with just a few keypresses.
  • 0
    VIM, VI, Nano, Sublime, VS Code, etc.. are all just tools that work better for different tasks. If you SSH into a Linux server, then you're going to have to use something like VIM or Nano. If you are developing locally on a machine, then use a GUI editor like Sublime, Atom, or VS Code.

    One is not "better" than the other, per se--they are both just different tools that are better suited for different tasks or environments.
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