vi
Classic modal screen-oriented text editor, standard on Unix and Unix-like systems.
Valued for always being present on Unix and embedded Linux systems with a tiny storage footprint12, and for fast editing with command ranges, regex, macros and piping through Unix tools.345 The most common complaint is that modal editing is hard to learn and feels unnatural6789, with some preferring nano or pico instead.1011
Why people recommend it
Efficient editing · 3
Commenters say command ranges, regex, macros, the . repeat command and piping through Unix tools make editing fast, even on huge files.
“I use it to "massage" data in all sorts of files (.json, .xml, .csv, .txt, etc.)”
“I learned vi back in the day and have never really graduated to vim.”
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“vi/vim is the first thing I install on a PC”
Always available · 3
It is reliably present on embedded Linux and remote systems, so commenters can count on it being there.
“No replacement comes close, or has a smaller footprint in storage.”
“Even when coding remotely, Emacs and vi are the tools I reach for.”
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“I use emacs, vi, ed, sed, awk all the time”
Lasting muscle memory · 3
Long-time users say the basic commands stay hardwired for decades.
“the basic vi commands are hardwired in my brain - I could happily edit a file in vi”
“vi/vim is the first thing I install on a PC”
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“I learned vi back in the day and have never really graduated to vim.”
Small footprint · 1
One commenter says no replacement has a smaller storage footprint.
“No replacement comes close, or has a smaller footprint in storage.”
Caveats and dissent
Modal editing · 3
Several commenters find modal editing unintuitive or repellent and say it distracts from the task.
“I can manage vi if I must, but its an effort and distracts from the task”
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“never have to learn that atrocity”
Learning curve · 3
Newcomers describe early use, such as copying between files, as painful.
“vi/vim is the first thing I install on a PC”
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“never have to learn that atrocity”
Arrow keys · 1
One commenter says the vi on early-90s Unix systems didn't work with arrow keys.
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- The vi family 3 mentions
- NetBSD adds a new text editor called atto 2 mentions
- ThinkRail from JetBrains 1 mention
- Ask HN: What's the oldest software tool you still rely on every day? 1 mention
- Ask HN: Which software do you happily pay for every month? 1 mention
- How do you use Vim in the era of AI? 1 mention
Data: vi.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 14
“I couldn't stand vi”
“I can manage vi if I must, but its an effort and distracts from the task”
“always used vi”
“No replacement comes close, or has a smaller footprint in storage.”
“never have to learn that atrocity”
“I actually do reach for vi on the command line sometimes.”
“Even when coding remotely, Emacs and vi are the tools I reach for.”
“I learned vi back in the day and have never really graduated to vim.”
“I use emacs, vi, ed, sed, awk all the time”
“modal editing repulses me”
“I use it to "massage" data in all sorts of files (.json, .xml, .csv, .txt, etc.)”
“the basic vi commands are hardwired in my brain - I could happily edit a file in vi”
“vi/vim is the first thing I install on a PC”
“my "dev enviornment" is vi”