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Vim vs gedit: What are the differences?
Introduction
Vim and gedit are both text editors commonly used for coding and programming tasks. Although they share some similarities, there are several key differences between the two.
Interface and Features: Vim is a highly customizable, terminal-based text editor with a steep learning curve. It offers a wide range of powerful features, including modal editing, extensive keyboard shortcuts, and support for various programming languages. On the other hand, gedit is a more user-friendly, graphical text editor that provides a simpler, intuitive interface with basic features suitable for casual users.
Modes of Operation: Vim operates in different modes, including the command mode, insert mode, and visual mode, allowing users to perform various editing tasks efficiently. It also supports macros and plugins for further customization. In contrast, gedit does not have distinct modes but offers a more traditional text editing experience with common features like copy, paste, and undo.
Customization and Extensibility: Vim is known for its extensive customization options, allowing users to personalize various aspects of their editing experience, such as keybindings, color schemes, and syntax highlighting. It also supports a vast array of plugins and scripts to enhance functionality. Gedit, while less customizable, still allows users to configure preferences and install plugins for additional features.
Performance and Efficiency: Vim is designed to prioritize efficiency and speed, making it suitable for handling large files and performing complex editing tasks swiftly. Its highly optimized command-line interface contributes to its responsiveness. Gedit, being a graphical editor, may not be as fast as Vim but still offers good performance for common editing operations.
Availability and Portability: Vim is available on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is also highly customizable and can be used effectively in a terminal environment. Gedit, on the other hand, is primarily developed for the GNOME desktop environment and is commonly found on Linux distributions. While it is possible to install gedit on other platforms, its functionality may be limited outside of its native environment.
Learning Curve: Vim has a steep learning curve due to its unique editing paradigm and the need to memorize numerous keyboard shortcuts. However, once mastered, Vim provides a highly efficient editing experience. Gedit, with its more user-friendly interface and familiar features, has a lower barrier to entry, making it easier to get started for beginners or users who prefer a less complicated editing environment.
In summary, Vim offers a highly customizable and efficient text editing experience with a steeper learning curve, suitable for advanced users and those who prioritize speed and power. On the other hand, gedit provides a more user-friendly interface with basic features, making it a good choice for casual users or beginners who prefer simplicity and ease of use.
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 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 gedit
- GTK32
Cons of Vim
- Ugly UI8
- Hard to learn5