Best of Vim — 2025

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Article
Atomic Spin·26w
Go on an AI Detox
A developer shares their experience temporarily disabling AI coding assistants like Cursor and Copilot to rediscover fundamental programming skills. After an initial productivity dip, they found themselves more engaged with code, better understanding of the codebase, and improved problem-solving abilities. The experiment revealed how AI convenience can make developers rusty in core skills like keyboard navigation, Vim commands, and deep code comprehension. The author now uses AI more deliberately, emphasizing the value of periodic detoxes to maintain sharp development instincts and genuine understanding rather than passive reliance on AI suggestions.
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Video
Gamefromscratch·51w
The Best Code Editors & IDEs in 2025
A comprehensive overview of 40+ programming tools across four categories: terminal-based editors (Emacs, Vim, Neovim, Helix), full IDEs (Visual Studio, Xcode, JetBrains suite, Eclipse), powerful text editors (Notepad++, Sublime Text, UltraEdit), and modern hybrid editors (Visual Studio Code and its many forks including Cursor, Windsurf, Zed). The guide covers both free and commercial options, highlighting their strengths, target audiences, and current development status as of 2025.
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Article
Lobsters·28w
How I fell in love with calendar.txt
A developer shares their experience adopting calendar.txt, a plain text file for managing calendar events using Unix command-line tools. They demonstrate how simple grep, vim, and bash aliases provide elegant solutions for viewing daily events, editing dates, and handling recurring events—all faster and more reliable than web-based calendar interfaces. The approach offers simplicity, trust, and personal customization through Unix tools, though mobile access remains challenging on proprietary systems like Android.
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Video
Veronica Explains·1y
VimWiki: I write my notes in the terminal, like a monster
VimWiki is a tool for managing personal notes and wikis straight from the terminal using Vim. It simplifies the process of organizing thoughts, tasks, and journals, and allows synchronization with other devices through file sync programs. The post includes detailed instructions for setting up VimWiki in Vim and highlights its various features and customizations.
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Article
Viget·32w
5 Articles That Influenced My Career
A developer reflects on five pivotal articles that shaped their career journey from graphic design to full-time development. Key influences include Ethan Marcotte's responsive design introduction, OOCSS principles for managing CSS specificity, Vim tutorials that opened the door to command-line mastery, CSS Tricks' flexbox guide for modern layouts, and Viget's JavaScript approach for ES6+ development. The piece emphasizes how shared knowledge from the web community creates breadcrumb trails for others to follow.
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Video
The Coding Gopher·1y
How 10X Engineers Code Without a Mouse
Discover the efficiency of high-performing developers who use Vim and a mechanical keyboard to code with precision and speed. Learn how mastering these tools can significantly enhance your programming workflow. Also, explore advanced software engineering courses with Codecrafters to build complex, real world projects.
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Article
Shaaf·45w
Neovim for Java Developers: A Match is made 🚀
A comprehensive guide to setting up Neovim as a Java development environment, featuring the neovim4j configuration repository. Covers essential plugins like nvim-java for testing and debugging, telescope for fuzzy search, and LSP configuration for code completion. Includes AI integration with GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, along with practical keybindings and setup instructions for Java developers transitioning from traditional IDEs.
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Article
Hacker News·1y
m4xshen/hardtime.nvim: Break bad habits, master Vim motions
hardtime.nvim is a plugin designed to help Vim users break common inefficient habits and master proficient command motions. It blocks repeated key presses in short intervals, provides hints for faster navigation, and reports frequently seen bad habits. The plugin requires Neovim v0.10 or above and can be customized via configuration files for a tailored experience.
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Article
Windows CLI Tips·1y
Yazi - A Terminal File Manager
Yazi is a terminal file manager that supports vim motions, offering an alternative to non-terminal file managers like fman. The user appreciates Yazi's features and expresses interest in trying other terminal file managers such as Midnight Commander.
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Article
Atomic Spin·1y
Smart Tools That Let Me Spend More Time Coding
The post highlights four smart tools that enhance coding productivity by minimizing time spent on non-coding tasks. Tools like zoxide, Rectangle, Raycast, and Vim keybindings are featured for their ability to streamline navigation, window management, and text editing. These tools help developers maintain focus and improve efficiency by reducing friction and maximizing keyboard use.
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Video
Programmers are also human·1y
Senior Engineer tries Vibe Coding.
A senior engineer shares their frustrations while attempting to fix and optimize code, exploring various technologies like Node.js, Vim, and artificial intelligence. They experience issues with component structures, obeying style guides, and argue over using certain programming languages and frameworks. Despite the setbacks, they persist in finding solutions for optimal coding practices.
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Video
developedbyed·50w
10x Your Neovim Experience
A comprehensive guide to enhancing Neovim productivity through essential plugins and tools. Covers Vimium browser extension for keyboard navigation, Typer plugin for improving typing speed within Neovim, Precognition for learning key bindings with visual hints, Mini Surround for efficient text manipulation, and visual enhancement plugins like Smear and Neo Scroll. Demonstrates practical workflows for developers looking to minimize mouse usage and maximize keyboard efficiency in their development environment.
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Article
Zed·1y
Vim Roadmap 2025
Zed's Vim mode has introduced new features such as the `!` operator and the `g//` and `v//` commands. The development focus for 2025 includes enhancing the non-editor user experience, perfecting Vim conformance, and improving multi-cursor functionality. Key improvements will involve adding filename completion, command history, better UI integrations, and addressing edge cases to ensure smooth transition for Vim users.
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Article
Nick Janetakis·37w
LazyVim and How I Did It — Nick Janetakis
A developer shares their experience migrating from Vim to Neovim with LazyVim configuration. The switch was motivated by syntax highlighting issues, slow performance with large files, and desire for better LSP integration. The migration process involved auditing a 700-line Vim config with 55+ plugins, leveraging LazyVim as a starting point, and learning basic Lua scripting. Key ecosystem components include Neovim as the editor, LazyVim for configuration, Lazy for plugin management, Mason for LSP servers, Treesitter for syntax highlighting, and various completion plugins.
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Video
TheVimeagen·1y
I Tried Golf.Vim
The post explores the experience of integrating a game called Vim Golf with the Vim editor to enhance coding skills through keystroke challenges. The author attempts various strategies to optimize keystrokes and reflects on the fun yet challenging aspects of the game. The concept highlights the use of games for improving technical proficiency with Vim.
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Video
Bread on Penguins·35w
bread, why do you use the terminal for everything?
A developer explains five key reasons for preferring terminal applications over graphical interfaces: consistent Vim keybindings across all tools, easier scripting and automation capabilities, better configuration and customization options, lower system resource consumption, and superior remote work functionality. The discussion acknowledges that graphical applications have their place for tasks like photo editing, emphasizing the importance of choosing the right tool for each specific job.
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Article
neovim·1y
Neovim
Nvim 0.11 has been released. Neovim is a Vim-based text editor designed for extensibility and usability, aimed at encouraging new applications and contributions. For more updates, visit the news archive or subscribe to the RSS feed. Connect with the team via Matrix or IRC.
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Article
Julia Evans·32w
Notes on switching to Helix from vim
A developer shares their experience transitioning from Vim to Helix after 20 years. Key highlights include Helix's built-in language server support, superior search functionality with full context, helpful keyboard shortcut popups, and minimal configuration requirements. The switch proved easier than expected, taking only a week or two to adjust. Notable drawbacks include inferior text reflowing compared to Vim, lack of persistent undo, occasional crashes, and no automatic file reloading. The author appreciates the simplicity of their 4-shortcut configuration versus hundreds of lines in Neovim, and has adapted to using a terminal-based workflow with project-specific windows.
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Video
ThePrimeTime·1y
Cursor
Using the cursor for programming can lead to a sense of learned helplessness, prompting a switch back to Vim to maintain programming proficiency. If the goal is solely output, sacrificing adeptness may be acceptable. However, for those aiming to become proficient programmers capable of handling complex software, a different approach is needed, balancing both learning and productivity.
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Video
Bread on Penguins·46w
Upgrading my Neovim config with some awesome new plugins
A developer shares their experience upgrading their Neovim configuration with several new plugins. The main additions include a markdown rendering plugin that displays formatted markdown inline, a number toggle plugin for relative line numbers, Twilight for dimming surrounding code context, and several other productivity plugins like URL aggregation and ASCII diagram drawing tools. The author emphasizes keeping configurations minimal while showcasing useful plugins that others might find valuable for their workflows.
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ThePrimeTime·26w
Goodbye, Dvorak
A developer shares their decision to switch back to QWERTY after 10 years of using a custom Dvorak keyboard layout. The motivation stems from wanting to program with their son on any computer without the barrier of a specialized layout. The transition has been challenging, particularly with Vim muscle memory, but the author considers it worthwhile for spending quality time teaching programming to their child.
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Article
Community Picks·1y
Practical Vim command workflow
Improve your Vim command workflow with a practical tutorial featuring key commands and real-life examples. This guide offers tactics for efficient navigation and text editing while avoiding mouse and arrow keys. Learn methods such as relative jumps, word-motion, and text-object commands to streamline your coding efficiency.
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Video
Coding with Lewis·24w
I Lived in the Terminal for a Whole Week
A developer replaces their GUI-based computer setup with a terminal-only environment for seven days to combat tech burnout. Using Ubuntu Server, i3 window manager, and CLI/TUI tools like Neovim, Neomutt, and TaskWarrior, they recreate their entire workflow including web browsing, email, note-taking, and task management. The experiment reveals how Linux customization enables personal identity expression through technology, ultimately leading to appreciation for minimalist, utility-focused computing despite the steep learning curve.
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bigboxSWE·1y
Stages of Using Neovim
The post humorously explores the stages a developer may go through when adopting Neovim, from initial awareness and coping with skill issues to mastering configurations. It reflects on the transformative journey through different phases of familiarity with Neovim, culminating in creating unique setups and eventually questioning the pursuit. The post ends with a sponsorship promotion for boot.dev, a platform aimed at making learning to code more engaging.
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Article
Community Picks·1y
The Efficiency of Vim
Vim is a highly efficient modal text editor prized for its ability to enhance typing efficiency by reducing dependency on mouse usage. Despite its steep learning curve, Vim's unique command-based operations and keybindings improve workflow and productivity. Many programmers adopt Vim for its efficiency in coding and text navigation, often accompanied by Vim keybindings for other applications like command-line interfaces. Alternatives such as Helix and Neovim also offer distinct advantages, although configuration preferences may vary. Overall, Vim has significantly influenced the development of text editing tools and practices.
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