Vim ("Vi IMproved") is an advanced text editor that allows syntax highlighting, word completion and has a huge amount of contributed content. Vim offers several “modes” for editing with efficiency. This makes vim a non-user-friendly application but it is also a strength. The normal mode binds alphanumeric keys to task-oriented commands. The visual mode highlights text. The command-lin ... More info »
This was my favorite editor on Linux. It is seemingly infinitely customizable and extensible.
Anybody who wants to work on a Unix or Unix-alike environment needs to learn vi/vim. It's not even slightly user-friendly:* it has a bizarre modal structure;* it has key bindings that are a bit of a stretch (h-j-k-l for left-down-up-right respectively, for example);* its online help system assumes you know the odd terminology it uses and is thus doesn't help to learn the application;* it doesn't play well with others in the GUI world (partially a result of the bizarre key bindings, but not entirely).
So why should you learn it? It's one of the only editors you're pretty much guaranteed will be on a Unix-alike. Any other editor (other than ed or ex -- don't ask!) is not guaranteed.
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