Why I Use Vim

My primary code-writing tools are:

• Xcode for Objective-C.
• Vim for Ruby, RubyMotion, and everything else.

Here are my reasons for using Vim, in priority order:

1. Vim is everywhere. I can find Vim on any 'nix-based machine: Unix, Linux, or OSX. I spend most of my time on OSX and the Ubuntu distribution of Linux. When I started experimenting with Raspberry Pi, it was pleasant to know that Vim was already there. Having a common editor on multiple platforms makes it easier to bounce between them.

2. Vim has history. I tried TextMate when I first heard about Ruby. Questions about TextMate’s future caused me to look for an alternative. Vim’s 20-year history and the Vim community convinced me that the editor would be available for many years to come.

3. Vim is fast. I laughed out loud the first time I saw
   NERDTree: Refreshing the root node.
This could take a while… DONE
   because it happened so quickly.

4. Vim can be customized. If I want to tailor Vim for myself, I can do that through plugins and .vimrc. If I don’t want to configure it myself, I can use a tool like Janus by Carl Lerche and Yehuda Katz . You may choose a different course. Choices are powerful!

The developers I admire are always learning. More important: They are strategic about what they learn because learning takes time. Being productive with a highly available editor like Vim means that I don’t have to spend time learning a new editor. Instead, I can focus my education in areas that benefit clients directly. That’s why I use Vim.