Bram Moolenaar, the creator of Vim passes away at 62

August 12, 2023 1 min read
Bram Moolenaar in 2007
Bram Moolenaar in 2007 (source: Wikipedia)

When I heard about Bram Moolenaar's passing, it made me think about how much Vim has been a part of my tech journey. Starting with pico, transitioning to nano (when pico was effectively 'retired'), I finally landing on Vim. I gave emacs a shot over the years, but Vim and I just clicked (or at least emacs and I never did).

These days, Vim is one of the few applications that I use daily. It's the tool I rely on for everything from quick coding changes to note-taking. It's fast, it's everywhere, and if you're in the tech world, knowing your way around Vim is pretty much a must.

What's impressive about Vim is its longevity. It's been around for over three decades, is relevant, and likely has a bright future. And a lot of that is thanks to Bram. Not only did he give us Vim, but he was also big on giving back, especially with his charity initiatives.

In a nutshell, Vim isn't just an editor to me; it's a testament to Bram's dedication and the impact of good engineering. Here's to many more years of Vim and the legacy Bram left behind.

open sourcevim
Peter Membrey
Written By Peter Membrey

Peter Membrey is a Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Chartered IT Professional and a Chartered Engineer. He has a doctorate in engineering and a masters degree in IT specialising in Information Security. He's co-authored over a dozen books and a number of research papers on a variety of topics. These days he is focusing his efforts on creating a more private Internet, raising awareness of STEM and helping people to reach their potential in the field.

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