Just another post singing Vim’s praises
Most of you are probably familiar with the name Vim, it’s been one of the staple Text Editor’s in Top 10 Text Editor lists for who knows how long (it was released in 1991).
Let’s begin…
It’s fast… Like really fast
The beauty of this very light application is it opens instantly, now I’m not saying that other Code Editors open slowly, but in comparison to opening Vim, VSCode and others lag.
It’s nice to your computer
I tested my RAM usage with vim and it’s between 2Mb and 7Mb in comparison VSCode runs about 600+Mb, I know the whole argument “I bought 16Gb of RAM I’m going to use 16Gb of RAM” but the way I see it is the more efficient the software you are running is, the more things you can run without having to close everything down to switch workflows this means you can continue your project you started working on earlier from exactly where you left it.
It’s completely customisable
One thing you have to credit VSCode for is its functionality directly out of the box, it has a built-in terminal, sidebar based file manager and a whole lot more.
However Vim has a terminal built-in which you can access with the `:term` command or you can run a shell command directly from Vim using `!{insert command here}` this coupled with netrw, which is Vim’s default file manager that can be accessed with `:Ex` is a perfect example of how you could consider VSCode to be over-engineered.
Vim allows you to achieve all of the functionality of VSCode and more! Thanks to the excellent plugin system.
You’ll code faster
Though the use of macros, the intuitive movement and editing system that I will admit takes a little bit of time to learn to use but once you know the basics you’ll be flying through your code like Dash from the Incredibles.
Conclusion
I’m not saying give up your favourite editor to use this alien, terminal-based speed program I’m just letting you know that’s what I did and I am much happier with my coding efficiency since I started using it.
Keep your eyes on this page
Drop me a follow, add me to your RSS feed if you’re old school, I am planning on sharing my Vim setup shortly that will explain how I use Vim to be the best editor for me… And also how I am always finding new things I can do with it that make me smile a little.
Also, check me out on my social media
