I'm a Windows user planning to move to Linux. What are the most useful benefits of vim?

This page summarizes the projects mentioned and recommended in the original post on /r/vim

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  • nvim-ide

    Neovim as IDE in Docker container. (by mashmb)

  • Exactly, Vim is simply one part of the workflow (even though plenty of people try to make it an IDE). If your workflow mandates some specific piece of software that you cannot remove for contractual/work mandate reasons (IE Visual Studio), then yes you are likely stuck. But if you can migrate away then it is worth it. Instead of one singular IDE you can use multiple tools together, each one being very good at the thing it does instead of one tool that is mediocre at all of the things. If you want you can integrate things like git, linting, completion, auto-linting, and even compilation and debugging into vim. I would recommend not trying to do all of this at once in the beginning, and even then I personally find it easier to have the compilation and debugging to be external. Linting and code completion are great additions however. But that is the beauty of Vim, you can choose to have as little or as much as you want in it. An IDE is like a premade toolkit that resists any changes you make to it, vim is more like a toolbox that you can fill with what you want. IDEs are easier to start with, but hold you back later when you hit a skill ceiling. Vim (And even more bloated editors like Emacs ;)) are harder to start but have no skill ceiling that stops you from improving. Or if there is one, I have not come close enough to see it yet after more than a decade of regular use.

  • neovim-ide

    Neovim as IDE in Docker container.

  • Exactly, Vim is simply one part of the workflow (even though plenty of people try to make it an IDE). If your workflow mandates some specific piece of software that you cannot remove for contractual/work mandate reasons (IE Visual Studio), then yes you are likely stuck. But if you can migrate away then it is worth it. Instead of one singular IDE you can use multiple tools together, each one being very good at the thing it does instead of one tool that is mediocre at all of the things. If you want you can integrate things like git, linting, completion, auto-linting, and even compilation and debugging into vim. I would recommend not trying to do all of this at once in the beginning, and even then I personally find it easier to have the compilation and debugging to be external. Linting and code completion are great additions however. But that is the beauty of Vim, you can choose to have as little or as much as you want in it. An IDE is like a premade toolkit that resists any changes you make to it, vim is more like a toolbox that you can fill with what you want. IDEs are easier to start with, but hold you back later when you hit a skill ceiling. Vim (And even more bloated editors like Emacs ;)) are harder to start but have no skill ceiling that stops you from improving. Or if there is one, I have not come close enough to see it yet after more than a decade of regular use.

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NOTE: The number of mentions on this list indicates mentions on common posts plus user suggested alternatives. Hence, a higher number means a more popular project.

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