Why Vim Remains a Beloved Yet Challenging Editor After 30 Years

Semi‑century of Accumulation

Vim was officially released in 1991 and remains one of the most popular editors; a 2019 Stack Overflow survey placed it fourth among web developers, with about 25% usage.

ed – The line editor

ed is a classic line‑oriented editor created at Bell Labs in 1973. On Linux or macOS, running ed opens a minimal editor where commands such as a (append), . (end insert mode), w filename (write), and q (quit) are used.

# ed
a
Hey there!
I'm qbitai. I'm using ed right now.
How cool!
.
w myfile.txt
60
q

Vim users will recognize many of these commands; familiarity with ed eases the transition to Vim.

Vi – The visual predecessor

The ex editor extended ed with a visual mode that could display files on screen. Three years later the executable vi appeared, inheriting ex commands and establishing the key‑binding foundation for Vim.

Vim’s birth

In the early 1990s many developers created vi clones. Bram Moolenaar took the STEVIE clone, added missing vi commands, ensured compatibility, and released “Vi Improved” (Vim) in 1993. Vim emphasizes near‑universal compatibility, configurable key mappings, and keyboard‑only efficiency.

Love‑hate relationship

Vim was designed before the mouse became standard, optimizing for pure‑keyboard operation. While the learning curve is steep for newcomers, experienced users cite speed, precision, and the ability to work without a mouse.

“Using Vim feels fast once you stop relying on arrow keys; the editor becomes an extension of your hands.”

How to exit Vim

Common commands to quit Vim: :q – quit (fails if there are unsaved changes) :q! – quit without saving :wq or :x – write changes and quit ZZ – write if needed and quit

Reference: https://pragmaticpineapple.com/how-did-vim-become-so-popular/