Understanding the Origins and the Evolution of Vi and Vim

The history of both Vi & Vim goes hand in hand with the history of open-source software itself. This article is a trip back to the origins of UNIX text editors. Let's look at the important players and historical events that shaped their evolution. I went to East London last week to visit my wife's alma mater, Queen Mary University. As I stopped to grab a cup of coffee, I received a message saying that Bram Moolenaar, the creator of Vim, had passed. To be honest, with a new family member keeping me busy at home, and a new course on MIPS assembler that I'm recording for my school, I am finding very difficult to keep up with the latest news. So, I confess that I received the news of Bram's passing almost a week too late. I did not know Bram personally and I am far from being a Vim connoisseur, but the fact that I was visiting Queen Mary University forced me to stop for a moment and reflect on how that place was connected to the long and vibrant history of Vim. Queen Mary University ha ... Read full article.