I’ve been told by some friends that I should learn Vim because it will help me with my programming. Some of them say it will make me a better programmer. I’ve heard people suggest that it is a good program to learn if you are not that familiar with programming.
This is what I think about it.
What Vim Is
Vim is a text editor that is famous for its simplicity and speed. Vim has become one of the most popular text editors because of its simplicity. It is one of the most-used text editors on Unix-based systems.
Vim is a terminal-based application and has the following features:
- Keyboard-oriented user interface.
- High-performance (due to its simplicity).
- Very configurable (you can configure Vim to do almost anything).
- Highly extensible (you can add almost any functionality to Vim).
You will be learning Vim to edit text.
Vim was initially used as a quick text editor to search through and edit a small amount of text in a single window (in 1984). The author of Vim is Bram Moolenaar. Vim can be described as:
… a new “editor” for terminal-based applications, such as the Unix console; the X Window System and others.
It is similar to an IDE (integrated development environment), but much smaller, faster and easier to use. Many software developers love Vim for its simplicity and speed.
Why Learn Vim?
It is the fastest editor in the world. As mentioned above, Vim is very fast because it is keyboard-oriented.
Vim is very powerful. Because it is keyboard-oriented, it can do nearly anything. It can be used to edit text, configure a Web server, manage an Apache server, and more.
Vim is the most extensible text editor. There is a large community that can and does make updates and add-ons for Vim.
Vim is very easy to learn. Learning a new software isn’t easy. Vim isn’t just as easy as you think. It will be less easy when you start programming with Vim.
You can use Vim in so many different ways. This is one of the reasons it is so popular. If you don’t like using a “text editor”, you can use Vim for that too. You can use Vim like a regular text editor, or as a code editor. Vim is also used as an API editor, an IDE, and more.
Vim can also help you master other software. You can learn Vim and later use it as a regular text editor, or as a code editor. For example, after learning Vim, it may be much easier for you to use Eclipse.
If you are interested in knowing what Vim can do, read on.
Learning Vim on Windows
Windows is an operating system used in PCs and other devices. When learning Vim for Windows, you’ll learn how to use a computer. Many Windows-based software packages require you to use a mouse, and use different windows on the screen, and different keyboard shortcuts. You will also learn how to open a shell.
As Vim uses different text editors, you’ll have to learn how to use all of them. You’ll learn what an address bar, tab bar, help system is, how to close windows and files, and how to undo and redo.
Vim for Linux
Linux is a family of open source software based on the Unix operating system. You can use the Linux operating system in your own computer and mobile devices.
As Vim for Linux works very similarly to Vim for Windows, you’ll have to learn many of the same skills. For example, you’ll learn how to search a file with the grep command, and how to launch programs with your terminal. You’ll learn how to undo, redo, and even edit multiple files simultaneously.
Vim for Mac
Mac is a popular operating system used in Apple’s personal computers. Mac has its own shell called the Terminal, and is often used to launch programs. If you’ve ever used a Mac OS X, you may already know how it works.
Many of the skills you learn for Vim on Windows are also useful on Mac. For example, you’ll learn how to undo, redo, and how to edit files. You’ll also learn how to use the Command Line interface.
So, is Vim worth learning?
Learning Vim is not only a fun, but also a fun skill to have for a programmer. I highly recommend anyone learn Vim to help speed up their programming. And, for anyone else, just having a basic understanding of Vim can help you be a better programmer. So yes, learning Vim is worth it.