A Eulogy for Vim

7 hours ago

Vim is integral to the author's personal and professional writing process, used for blogging, coding, documentation, and emails.
The author has a deep, intuitive connection with Vim, describing it as an extension of their body, with skills embedded in muscle memory.
Bram Moolenaar, Vim's creator, profoundly impacted the author's life; the author felt a sense of mourning upon his death, despite never meeting him.
Bram was known for his altruism, particularly supporting education and healthcare for Ugandan children, which the author respects deeply.
The author expresses strong concerns about generative AI, citing environmental damage, exploitation of miners, and societal harms like promoting fascism.
Due to these concerns and Vim's integration of AI, the author decided to fork Vim, creating 'Vim Classic' to maintain a version aligned with their values.
Vim Classic is based on Vim 8.2.0148, excluding Vim9 Script to ensure compatibility with legacy plugins, and includes backported security and bug fixes.
The author invites others who share similar views to use and contribute to Vim Classic, focusing on slow, careful maintenance and community collaboration.

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