How Did Vim Become So Popular
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How this talk came to be?
Why h, j, k, and l? 🤔
Why not some other keys?
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7690298/vim-go-brrrr.png)
Why use : to call a command?
🤔
This talk is about
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Small bits and pieces of Vim's history
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Vim's origin
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Fun facts
About me
About me
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7682941/me-illustrated-brown.jpeg)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7682943/pszus.jpg)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7682941/me-illustrated-brown.jpeg)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7682943/pszus.jpg)
About me
Vim is still popular
Vim is still popular
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7646386/81985f0.png)
1000+ Attendees
Vim is still popular
5th most popular
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7682991/Screenshot_2020-08-31_at_18.55.13.png)
Vim is still popular
5th place is great considering Vim got released in 1991
Vim is still popular
How it all started?
vim - vi - ed
🥊 Punch cards and 📈 line editors
🥊 Punch cards
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686304/s-l640.jpg)
Example of a punch card
🥊 Punch cards
Punching machine IBM 029
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🥊 Punch cards
Stack of punch cards
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686306/punch-card-stack.jpg)
🥊 Punch cards
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First origins in 19th century
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Peak in 60s
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Used well into 21st century
📺 Teleprinters
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Concept of time sharing
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Late 60s
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TeleTYpe writers - TTYs
📺 Teleprinters
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🛎 Bell Labs
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686449/0_wFF19J2t1kTTJj0x.jpg)
🛎 Bell Labs
Ken Thompson
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Creates ed from QED 1969.
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Adds regular expressions
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686449/0_wFF19J2t1kTTJj0x.jpg)
🏀 LIVE DEMO 🏈
Let's try out the ed editor!
Vim’s dad - The Vi
Vim’s dad - The Vi
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After ed comes em
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The editor for mortals
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George Coulouris
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Used on "glass TTYs"
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686689/Screenshot_2020-09-01_at_20.32.38.png)
Vim’s dad - The Vi
Computer terminal
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Vim’s dad - The Vi
George Coulouris shows em to Bill Joy
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686668/Portrait_of_George_Coulouris__computer_scientist_.jpg)
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686669/220px-Bill_Joy_at_World_Economic_Forum__Davos___2003-01__cropped_.jpg)
Vim’s dad - The Vi
Bill Joy is frustrated with ed;
takes em and creates ex
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7686669/220px-Bill_Joy_at_World_Economic_Forum__Davos___2003-01__cropped_.jpg)
Vim’s dad - The Vi
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First version of ex in 1978 - BSD Unix
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Second BSD Unix - the vi executable
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vi's first release in 1979
Vim’s dad - The Vi
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vi's first release in 1979
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sets conventions for the future
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h, j, k, and l origin
Vim’s dad - The Vi
h, j, k, and l origin
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7688946/rbx-v3rdx54ur2qh4liz6golqmk.jpg)
ADM-3A terminal
Vim’s dad - The Vi
h, j, k, and l origin
ADM-3A terminal keyboard
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7688948/Hn174TJ.jpg)
Vim’s dad - The Vi
Typing : to perform a command
ed's complete silence
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689024/Screenshot_2020-09-02_at_13.34.53.png)
From vi to vim
From vi to vim
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vi only text editor in BSD Unix
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Emacs is expensive
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BSD Unix is the base of most others
From vi to vim
BSD Unix is the base of most others
From vi to vim
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vi is proprietary software
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AT&T source licence needed
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open source imitations rise
From vi to vim
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open source imitations rise
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STEVIE
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ST Editor for VI Enthusiasts
From vi to vim
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STEVIE
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ST Editor for VI Enthusiasts
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Came about 1987
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STEVIE reaches Bram Moolenaar
From vi to vim
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STEVIE reaches Bram Moolenaar
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Fred Fish newsletter
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Amiga 2000
From vi to vim
Amiga 2000
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689068/1200px-A2000cpu.jpg)
From vi to vim
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Bram worked with vi in the university
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He realized many of vi's feature were missing
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He gets to work (1988)
From vi to vim
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Compatability with vi
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Multi-level undo
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Quick-fix mode
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"Vi Imitation" in 1991
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689105/LINUX-LOGO.png)
From vi to vim
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"Vi Imitation" in 1991
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"Vi Improved" in 1993
From vi to vim
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"Vi Imitation" v1 in 1991
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"Vi Improved" v2 in 1993
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v3 in 1994
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...
From vi to vim
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Splitting windows
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Buffers
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Swap files
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Vimscript
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Syntax highlighting
From vi to vim
Vim gets ported to
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MS-DOS
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Mac
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Unix
Recent times
Recent times
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5th most popular today
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Ubiquity
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Speed
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Customizability
Recent times
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Some hate Vim
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Getting stuck in Vim
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689232/meme.jpg)
Recent times
Getting stuck in Vim
StackOverflow research from 2017
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689269/Screenshot_2020-08-26_at_18.59.17.png)
Recent times
Getting stuck in Vim
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689273/exit_vim_by_language-1-3-1024x1024.png)
Recent times
Getting stuck in Vim
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689281/country_stuck_vim-1-2-1024x1024.png)
Recent times
Getting stuck in Vim
80 people per hour that need help getting out of Vim
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7690301/secret.png)
Recent times
Recent times
![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7690295/one-joke.png)
Recent times
Remember h, j, k, and l?
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![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media-p.slid.es/uploads/673742/images/7689315/baXEyZWZ.jpg)
How did Vim become popular?
How did Vim become popular?
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Features
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Speed
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Flexibility
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Ubiquity
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...
How did Vim become popular?
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Compatability for over 50 years
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ed - 1969 - Ken Thompson
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ex and vi - 1979 - Bill Joy
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vim - 1991 - Bram Moolenaar
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neovim - 2014
The Future
The Future
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5th most popular overall
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2nd in Ruby community
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Vim is at version 8.2
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Neovim is stronger than ever
The Future
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🤝 Support each other
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🔈 VimConf.live
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📝 Write blog posts
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📹 Stream and create videos
The Future
📹 Stream and create videos
🙇♂️ Thanks!
🐦 Twitter: @nikolalsvk
📝 Blog: pragmaticpineapple.com
💌 Newsletter: pragmaticpineapple.com/newsletter
How Did Vim Become So Popular
By Nikola Đuza
How Did Vim Become So Popular
A short walk through Vim's origins and why is Vim so popular today
- 1,362