Overview

pathogen.vim

Stacks14

Followers22

Votes2

GitHub Stars12.1K

Forks1.2K

Spacemacs

Stacks190

Followers200

Votes86

GitHub Stars24.6K

Forks4.9K

SpaceVim

Stacks18

Followers59

Votes18

SpaceVim vs Spacemacs vs pathogen.vim: What are the differences?

Introduction

This document provides a comparison between SpaceVim, Spacemacs, and pathogen.vim in terms of their key differences. Markdown code is used throughout to ensure compatibility with websites.

SpaceVim: SpaceVim is a highly configurable Vim distribution designed to provide a comfortable editing experience out of the box. It aims to provide a more modern and intuitive interface compared to the traditional Vim setup.
Spacemacs: Spacemacs, on the other hand, is an Emacs distribution that combines the best of Vim and Emacs. It offers a set of pre-configured packages and comes with advanced features, making it a popular choice among developers who prefer Vim bindings in an Emacs environment.
pathogen.vim: pathogen.vim, unlike SpaceVim and Spacemacs, is not a distribution but a plugin manager for Vim. It simplifies the process of installing and managing plugins within Vim by handling runtime path manipulation.
Configuration: In terms of configuration, both SpaceVim and Spacemacs have their own extensive and highly customizable configuration layers. They provide predefined setups and keybindings, which can be tweaked to fit individual preferences. On the other hand, pathogen.vim does not include any predefined configurations and mainly focuses on managing plugins.
Learning curve: SpaceVim and Spacemacs are both designed to be beginner-friendly and offer a smoother learning curve for newcomers to Vim or Emacs. They provide detailed documentation and support a wide range of programming languages and tools. Pathogen.vim, however, requires a deeper understanding of Vim and plugin management, making it better suited for experienced users.
Community and support: SpaceVim and Spacemacs have active and vibrant communities with frequent updates and ongoing support. They offer forums, issue trackers, and extensive documentation for users to seek help or contribute to the development. Pathogen.vim, being a plugin manager, relies on the larger Vim community for support and updates.

In summary, SpaceVim and Spacemacs are dedicated Vim and Emacs distributions, respectively, offering a comfortable editing experience, while pathogen.vim focuses solely on managing Vim plugins. Their key differences lie in their approach to configuration, learning curve, and community support.

Detailed Comparison

pathogen.vim	Spacemacs	SpaceVim
Manage your 'runtimepath' with ease. In practical terms, pathogen.vim makes it super easy to install plugins and runtime files in their own private directories.	Since version 0.101.0 and later Spacemacs totally abolishes the frontiers between Vim and Emacs. The user can now choose his/her preferred editing style and enjoy all the Spacemacs features. Even better, it is possible to dynamically switch between the two styles seamlessly which makes it possible for programmers with different styles to do seat pair programming using the same editor.	SpaceVim is a Modular configuration, a bundle of custom settings and plugins, for Vim. It got inspired by spacemacs.
-	Batteries Included;Nice UI;Excellent ergonomics;Convenient and Mnemonic Key Bindings;Great Documentation	-
Statistics
GitHub Stars 12.1K	GitHub Stars 24.6K	GitHub Stars -
GitHub Forks 1.2K	GitHub Forks 4.9K	GitHub Forks -
Stacks 14	Stacks 190	Stacks 18
Followers 22	Followers 200	Followers 59
Votes 2	Votes 86	Votes 18
Pros & Cons
Pros 2 It fits the posix-y model of path manipulation	Pros 14 Advanced support for Vim key bindings 12 Discoverability 10 Easy setup 10 Never have to touch the mouse 7 Cross-platform	Pros 4 Easy to update 4 Easy to get started with 3 Realtime Guide 3 Attractive default theme 2 Better default
Integrations
Vim	Emacs	Vim

What are some alternatives to pathogen.vim, Spacemacs, SpaceVim?

ReSharper

It is a popular developer productivity extension for Microsoft Visual Studio. It automates most of what can be automated in your coding routines. It finds compiler errors, runtime errors, redundancies, and code smells right as you type, suggesting intelligent corrections for them.

Vim-Plug

A minimalist Vim plugin manager.

Kite

Your editor and web browser don't know anything about each other, which is why you end up continuously switching between them. Kite bridges that gap, bringing an internet-connected programming experience right alongside your editor.

GitSavvy

Full git and GitHub integration with Sublime Text 3.

GitHub Copilot

It is an AI pair programmer that helps you write code faster and with less work. It draws context from comments and code, and suggests individual lines and whole functions instantly.