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Micro vs Neovim: What are the differences?
Key Differences between Micro and Neovim
In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Micro and Neovim, two popular text editors.
Command Handling: One major difference between Micro and Neovim is their approach to command handling. Micro has a more user-friendly and intuitive command interface, making it easier for new users to learn and use. On the other hand, Neovim provides a more powerful and customizable command-line interface, allowing experienced users to fine-tune their editing experience.
Plug-in Management: Another difference lies in their plug-in management systems. Micro has a built-in plug-in manager that makes it simple to install and manage extensions. It provides a curated list of plugins and a one-line command to install them. Neovim, on the other hand, relies on third-party plugins managers, such as Vim-Plug or Vundle. While this offers more flexibility and a wider range of options, it may require additional setup and configuration.
Performance and Stability: Micro is built with simplicity and minimalism in mind, resulting in a smaller codebase and a lightweight editor. It is designed to be fast and stable, making it suitable for quick editing tasks and smaller projects. Neovim, on the other hand, focuses on performance and scalability. It includes various optimizations and features aimed at improving editing speed, making it a preferred choice for more resource-intensive tasks and larger projects.
Community and Ecosystem: Neovim has a larger and more active community compared to Micro. It benefits from having a more extensive ecosystem, with numerous plugins, themes, and configurations available. This vibrant community ensures that Neovim receives regular updates and improvement, making it more suitable for users who prefer a rich and constantly evolving editor. While Micro does have a growing community, it may not offer the same level of support and resources.
Compatibility and Vim Scripts: Neovim aims to be compatible with Vim, providing the same keybindings and scripting language. This compatibility allows Vim users to switch seamlessly to Neovim without significant adjustments. Micro, on the other hand, does not strive for full Vim compatibility. While it does support basic Vim keybindings, Micro uses its own scripting language, which may require users to learn new commands and configurations.
In summary, Micro offers a more user-friendly command interface and built-in plug-in management, with a focus on simplicity and stability. Neovim, on the other hand, provides a more powerful and customizable command-line interface, with a larger community and ecosystem, making it better suited for complex projects and experienced users.
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
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.
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!
Pros of Micro
- It feels like a GUI-based editor ... in a terminal4
- Easy to use3
- Supports traditional ctrl shortcuts and copyboard1
Pros of Neovim
- Modern and more powerful Vim31
- Fast27
- Asynchronous plugins22
- Stable20
- Edit text fast18
- Great community15
- Vim plugins work out of the box15
- Embedable9
- Unix-like8
- Built-in terminal support8
- Plugins in any language4
- External GUIs2
- Great Colorschemes2
- Extremely customizable2