It’s late 1991, and if you’ve spent any time on a Unix system, you know the "love-hate" relationship we have with vi. It’s powerful, it’s ubiquitous, and it’s about as friendly as a cornered badger. But a developer named Bram Moolenaar has just released something called Vim (Vi IMproved) for the Amiga, and it's a breath of fresh air.
Why Improve on Vi?
Standard vi has been the gold standard since Bill Joy wrote it in the 70s, but it has its limitations. Vim 1.14 takes the core modal editing philosophy and adds things we've been begging for. Multiple levels of undo! If you've ever accidentally deleted a paragraph in vi and realized u only toggles the last change, you'll know why this is a godsend.
Vim also introduces better support for non-Unix systems. Seeing it run so smoothly on the Amiga is impressive. It feels faster, more responsive, and the "extra" features don't get in the way of the muscle memory we've spent years building.
" My new favorite .vimrc settings
set nocompatible
set number
set showcmd
set backspace=indent,eol,start
The Charityware Model
Bram is doing something interesting with the distribution. It's "Charityware." He encourages users to donate to ICCF Holland to help children in Uganda. It’s a noble sentiment in an industry that is often focused solely on the bottom line. It makes me feel a little better about the hours I spend staring at the screen.
Looking Ahead
Vim is already being ported to other platforms, and I suspect it won't be long before it finds its way back to Unix and eventually to Linux. The modal editing paradigm is the most efficient way to manipulate text once you get past the steep learning curve. With the foundation Bram has laid here, I wouldn't be surprised if Vim becomes the definitive editor for the next generation of hackers. Just remember: :wq is your friend.