Vim is Vi-IMproved, a free vi-compatible text editor with many extensions and great features such as multi-level undo, multiple windows, tabs, and buffers, flexible insert mode (use the arrow keys to move while in insert mode), visual mode (execute commands on marked areas of text), block operators (operate on rectangular blocks of text), and online help system. Vim 9 added the vim9script language (legacy vim script is still available), which has generic functions (via :def) now which are compiled and very fast, functions and variables are script local by default. Wayland support has been added and is being improved. Color schemes have been updated, command line completions occur in a popup menu, xxd has been updated.
Vim's long-time developer, Bram Moolenaar, passed away 3 August 2023 after more than 30 years of programming vim. The Vim project has been continued by a group of long-time trusted submitters.
The Vim 9.1 release was dedicated to Bram.
I've come a long way down the vi trail since 1990...vi, xvi, elvis, vile, xvile, nvi, and now, Vim. Consider this page a paltry tribute to Vim: a most useful, efficient, and enjoyable free editor of the vi type. Here is a peek (screen shot). at how Vim 9.1 looks on my FreeBSD 14.3-STABLE system with the vim zenburn colorscheme.
When I was working, I used gvim most of the time and used a few tricks to make Vim into a good SAS development environment. I collected these tips in a page of functions for Vim when programming in SAS
If you don't know what "vi" is, my more generic vi Information & Resources page will give a brief introduction and some links to further sources of information.
Comments and suggestions about this Vim page are welcome. --Kent Nassen, knassen@NOWAYAMSPAYchartermi.net>
Here are some links to further information about Vim.
The VIM Home Page
(http://www.vim.org/)
This site is the main repository for Vim-related information. Definitely
look here! (Bram Moolenaar (mool@oce.nl) is the author of VIM.)
Vim Development Page
(https://vimonline.sourceforge.net)
A page with information about the current development status of Vim. Vim
9.1 is the latest release version. Vim 5.4 is currently in development.
Also included at this site is information about the development of vim
for Windows, and where you can get development releases of vim. Note
that such releases are for testing only. If you just want to see what
vim 5.x looks like, see this example screen
shot of vim 5.0m.
vimhelp.org FAQ
A very long and detailed FAQ on Vim.
[The screen shots above were grabbed while the application was running under XFree86 and the FVWM-95 window manager.
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Last modified: Sat Aug 30 20:24:24 EDT 2025