Wonderful vi

2 days ago

The speed of technological change is a defining characteristic of the industry, with AI advancements being a recent example.
vi, a text editor created by Bill Joy in 1976, remains fundamentally unchanged in design, influencing successors like Vim and Neovim.
vi's design maximizes programmer productivity by minimizing keystrokes, a principle that has persisted for nearly half a century.
Modern vi users can manipulate text efficiently without a mouse, showcasing the editor's enduring utility.
vi's command mode operates like a language, with a structure of [Action] [Scope] [Object], enabling powerful text manipulation combos.
Examples of vi commands include 'ciq' (Change Inside Quotes), 'dab' (Delete Around Brackets), and 'yiw' (Copy Inside Word).
Learning vi involves mastering basic navigation and the grammar of text manipulation, which can be highly rewarding.
Neovim, a modern vi successor, can be enhanced with distributions like LazyVim for easier adoption.
Neovim is compatible with various operating systems and works well with modern terminals like Alacritty or Kitty.
Despite a learning curve, adopting Neovim can lead to a highly satisfying and efficient programming experience.

Hasty Briefsbeta