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Atom vs Notepad++ vs Vim: What are the differences?
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Customization: Atom offers a high level of customization with its built-in package manager and a wide variety of plugins and themes that users can easily install. Notepad++, on the other hand, has limited customization options compared to Atom. Vim also supports a high level of customization with its scripting language, allowing users to create custom commands and functions tailored to their workflow.
User Interface: Atom has a modern and user-friendly interface that includes features like split panes and a file system browser. Notepad++ has a more traditional interface that may feel outdated to some users, lacking modern design elements. Vim follows a minimalistic approach with a command-line interface, which may have a steeper learning curve for beginners.
Cross-Platform Support: Atom is a cross-platform text editor that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems, providing a consistent experience across different operating systems. Notepad++ is only available for Windows, limiting its usability for users on other platforms. Vim, although originally developed for Unix-based systems, has versions available for various platforms, making it versatile in terms of cross-platform support.
Collaboration Tools: Atom offers features like real-time collaboration and integration with Git for version control, making it suitable for collaborative work environments. Notepad++ lacks these collaboration features, limiting its use in team settings. Vim can be extended with plugins for collaborative editing, but it requires additional setup compared to Atom's native support for such features.
Extensibility: Atom's plugin system allows users to extend the functionality of the editor with thousands of community-created packages. Notepad++ also supports plugins but has a smaller ecosystem compared to Atom. Vim, known for its extensibility, offers a vast library of plugins that can enhance its capabilities in various ways, making it a favorite among power users.
Learning Curve: Atom is designed to be user-friendly with an intuitive interface, making it easier for beginners to start using the editor without much prior knowledge. Notepad++ also has a relatively low learning curve compared to Vim, which has a steep learning curve due to its modal editing style and command-driven interface, requiring users to invest time in learning its unique features and commands.
In Summary, the key differences between Atom, Notepad++, and Vim lie in their levels of customization, user interfaces, cross-platform support, collaboration tools, extensibility, and learning curves.
For a Visual Studio Code/Atom developer that works mostly with Node.js/TypeScript/Ruby/Go and wants to get rid of graphic-text-editors-IDE-like at once, which one is worthy of investing time to pick up?
I'm a total n00b on the subject, but I've read good things about Neovim's Lua support, and I wonder what would be the VIM response/approach for it?
Neovim can basically do everything Vim can with one major advantage - the number of contributors to the code base is just so much wider (Vim is ~100% maintained only by B. Mooleanaar). Whatever you learn for Neovim you can also apply to Vim and vice versa. And of course there is the never ending Vim vs Emacs controversy - but better not get into that war.
Actually, the biggest advantage with Neovim (as a VS user) is that you can embed REAL Neovim as the editor UI, rather than using a "Vim emulation", you're using actual NVIM, embedded in VS!
"asvetliakov.vscode-neovim" is the extension you are looking for:
- Install the 'vscode-neovim; extension (https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=asvetliakov.vscode-neovim)
- Install Neovim version 0.5+ nightly
- Start winning.
(You can install neovim-nightly separately for just vscode, I usually build and install it to /opt/nvim - it's enough enough to do - let me know if you need help).
Works wonderfully. It might not work out of the box if you have some 100K epic nvim initialization file, but the plugin documents a workaround for having an embedding/VS specific configuration.
I don't actually notice much of a difference between the two, as the end result looks identical. If you use Vim and are switch to Neovim it's an extremely easy 1-minute process. I switched from Vim to Neovim. I can't say I found much of a difference, but the key points where Neovim could be better than just vim is that first, there are much more people maintaining Neovim compared to vim, which means fewer bugs and a modern code base. It also has a smaller code base which might result in a small speed improvement. Another thing is that it's basically just a fork of vim, so what harm can it do? ;)
I recommend using vim 8+
it has native plugin support
if you need language supports you can install the package vim-nox
which will come with support for python, lua, ruby, etc
The hints on the codebase's contributors and the VSCode integration helped me make up my mind.
I really appreciate all comments, though.
Thanks a bunch!
It truly depends on whether you want to completely avoid GUI and stick to TUI and command lines. If you want to edit all of your codes within a terminal, then Vim or neovim would be the choice. Emacs can be run in a terminal, but the functionality is limited. Most people use Emacs using GUI and emacs-client not to use too much memory.
My general preference is to use an independent text editor, which is better if it is highly customizable and programmable. So, I have used Emacs for several years. For beginners, I guess Emacs requires significant time to learn to fully enjoy its wonderful functionalities. In that sense, using atom would be a recommendable option.
Regardless of all the situations, learning basic vim in the terminal will help you in any case. In summary, I recommend 1. vim as a default editor in the terminal 2. atom if you are a beginner, or 3. Emacs if you have a long-term plan to master a programmable editor
Other editors like sublime text, VS code, and so forth are also worth learning and using. But, no matter which editor you choose, stick to one or two until you become an advanced user. Being able to use most text editors at an intermediate level is waste of time.
I hope it helps.
Since communication with Github is not necessary, the Atom is less convenient in working with text and code. Sublim's support and understanding of projects is best for us. Notepad for us is a completely outdated solution with an unacceptable interface. We use a good theme for Sublim ayu-dark
Pros of Atom
- Free529
- Open source449
- Modular design343
- Hackable321
- Beautiful UI316
- Backed by github147
- Built with node.js119
- Web native113
- Community107
- Packages35
- Cross platform18
- Nice UI5
- Multicursor support5
- TypeScript editor5
- Open source, lots of packages, and so configurable3
- cli start3
- Simple but powerful3
- Chrome Inspector works IN EDITOR3
- Snippets3
- Code readability2
- It's powerful2
- Awesome2
- Smart TypeScript code completion2
- Well documented2
- works with GitLab1
- "Free", "Hackable", "Open Source", The Awesomness1
- full support1
- vim support1
- Split-Tab Layout1
- Apm publish minor1
- Consistent UI on all platforms1
- User friendly1
- Hackable and Open Source1
- Publish0
Pros of Notepad++
- Syntax for all languages that i use104
- Tabbed ui60
- Great code editor56
- Fast and lightweight54
- Plugins38
- Nice GUI28
- Regex & Special Character Search & Replace26
- Fast startup16
- Application is free, and plugins are too9
- Themes9
- Free6
- Very Lightweight4
- 100% Free3
- Column selection2
- Awesome autocomplete1
- Easy edit on FTP servers (NppFTP)1
- Cos it's seck1
- Nice gui. are you kidding me?1
- Open Sourced1
Pros of Vim
- Comes by default in most unix systems (remote editing)347
- Fast328
- Highly configurable312
- Less mouse dependence297
- Lightweight247
- Speed145
- Plugins100
- Hardcore97
- It's for pros82
- Vertically split windows65
- Open-source30
- Modal editing25
- No remembering shortcuts, instead "talks" to the editor22
- It stood the Test of Time21
- Unicode16
- VimPlugins13
- Everything is on the keyboard13
- Stick with terminal13
- Dotfiles12
- Flexible Indenting11
- Hands stay on the keyboard10
- Efficient and powerful10
- Programmable10
- Everywhere9
- Large number of Shortcuts9
- A chainsaw for text editing8
- Unmatched productivity8
- Developer speed7
- Super fast7
- Makes you a true bearded developer7
- Because its not Emacs7
- Modal editing changes everything7
- You cannot exit6
- Themes6
- EasyMotion5
- Most and most powerful plugins of any editor5
- Shell escapes and shell imports :!<command> and !!cmd5
- Intergrated into most editors5
- Shortcuts5
- Great on large text files5
- Habit5
- Plugin manager options. Vim-plug, Pathogen, etc5
- Intuitive, once mastered4
- Perfect command line editor4
- Not MicroSoft1
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Cons of Atom
- Slow with large files19
- Slow startup7
- Most of the time packages are hard to find.2
- No longer maintained1
- Cannot Run code with F51
- Can be easily Modified1
Cons of Notepad++
- No default plugin manager3
- Can't install more advanced packets2
Cons of Vim
- Ugly UI8
- Hard to learn5