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Emacs vs Vim vs gedit: What are the differences?
1. Customization: Emacs is known for its extensive customization capabilities through Emacs Lisp, allowing users to tailor every aspect of their workflow. Vim also offers a high level of customization through its scripting language, Vimscript. On the other hand, gedit does not have the same level of customization options as Emacs and Vim, making it more straightforward and user-friendly for beginners. 2. Modes: Emacs has a unique feature called modes, allowing users to switch between different editing modes for various tasks such as coding, writing, or debugging. Vim also utilizes modes for different editing functions, providing a modal editing experience. In contrast, gedit does not have modes like Emacs and Vim, offering a more traditional single mode editing environment. 3. Keybindings: Emacs uses keybindings that are centered around its modifier key (Ctrl) and followed by commands, offering a vast array of shortcut combinations for efficient editing. Vim, on the other hand, focuses on a modal editing system with unique keybindings that make heavy use of the keyboard home row. In comparison, gedit has a more standard set of keybindings similar to most text editors, making it easier for users transitioning from other editing tools. 4. Plugin Ecosystem: Emacs has a robust ecosystem of plugins and extensions that enhance its functionality, with a package manager for easy installation of additional features. Vim also boasts a wide range of plugins available through its plugin manager, adding extra capabilities to the editor. In contrast, gedit has a limited plugin ecosystem, offering only a few extensions for basic functionalities. 5. Learning Curve: Emacs has a steep learning curve due to its extensive customization options and unique keybindings, requiring significant time investment to master. Vim also has a steep learning curve because of its modal editing system and non-traditional keybindings. In contrast, gedit has a more gentle learning curve, making it more accessible for beginners and casual users. 6. Cross-Platform Support: Both Emacs and Vim are cross-platform editors available on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. On the other hand, gedit is primarily designed for GNOME desktop environments, limiting its availability on other operating systems.
In Summary, the key differences between Emacs, Vim, and gedit lie in their customization options, modes, keybindings, plugin ecosystems, learning curves, and cross-platform support.
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.
Pros of Emacs
- Vast array of extensions65
- Have all you can imagine44
- Everything i need in one place40
- Portability39
- Customer config32
- Your config works on any platform16
- Low memory consumption13
- Perfect for monsters11
- All life inside one program10
- Extendable, portable, fast - all at your fingertips8
- Enables extremely rapid keyboard-only navigation6
- Widely-used keybindings (e.g. by bash)5
- Extensible in Lisp5
- Runs everywhere important5
- FOSS Software4
- Powerful multilanguage IDE4
- Git integration4
- May be old but always reliable4
- Asynchronous3
- Powerful UI3
- Huge ecosystem1
Pros of gedit
- Fast10
- Lightweight9
- GNOME Integration9
- Syntax Highlighting5
- Immediately starts3
- Tabbed UI3
- Free2
- I love gnu-linux2
- External tools and snippets1
- Supports every programming language1
- Spell Check1
- If you took cs50, you know gedit1
- Old gedit based on gtk21
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 Emacs
- So good and extensible, that one can get sidetracked4
- Hard to learn for beginners4
- Not default preinstalled in GNU/linux1
Cons of gedit
- GTK32
Cons of Vim
- Ugly UI8
- Hard to learn5




