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Vim vs tmux: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will compare the key differences between Vim and tmux. Vim is a highly configurable text editor that is widely used for editing code and text files, while tmux is a terminal multiplexer that enables users to create and manage multiple terminal sessions within a single terminal window.

  1. Modes and Editing: One of the significant differences between Vim and tmux is their core functionality. Vim is primarily an editor with various modes, such as command mode, insert mode, and visual mode, allowing efficient editing and navigation. On the other hand, tmux focuses on session management, enabling users to create, switch between, and control multiple terminal sessions.

  2. Text Editing vs. Terminal Multiplexing: Vim excels as a text editor, providing powerful features like search and replace, macros, and syntax highlighting. It offers a rich set of functionalities for manipulating and editing text files. Tmux, however, focuses on terminal multiplexing, allowing users to split the terminal screen into panes, run multiple command prompts simultaneously, and manage sessions efficiently.

  3. Customizability: Vim is highly customizable, allowing users to configure its behavior through various options, mappings, and plugins. Users can customize Vim to suit their specific needs and workflows, making it a versatile editor for various programming languages. Tmux also offers customization options but mainly for session management, enabling users to bind keys, adjust window layouts, and configure status bars as desired.

  4. Command Language: Vim has its own command language, which enables users to execute complex actions and automation scripts. It supports a wide range of commands for manipulation, file handling, and automation. Tmux, on the other hand, uses a more generic command interface similar to many Unix command-line tools, allowing users to issue commands for managing sessions, windows, and panes.

  5. Integration with External Tools: Vim supports seamless integration with external tools and plugins, providing features like code completion, linting, debugging, and version control integration through plugins. With the right configuration, it can be turned into a fully-fledged Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Tmux, being primarily a terminal multiplexer, does not offer such extensive integration but can be used in conjunction with other tools and terminal-based applications.

  6. Use Cases: Vim is particularly well-suited for editing code, configuring servers, and editing text files. Its powerful editing features and customization options make it a popular choice for developers and system administrators. Tmux, on the other hand, is more focused on terminal-based workflow management and session persistence. It provides a convenient way to work with multiple terminal sessions efficiently, making it useful for remote development, server administration, and working in distributed environments.

In summary, Vim is a highly customizable text editor with powerful editing features, while tmux is a terminal multiplexer focused on session management. Vim's strength lies in text manipulation and code editing, while tmux excels in terminal multiplexing and managing multiple terminal sessions efficiently.

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Pros of tmux
Pros of Vim
  • 2
    Reliable, easy and highly customizable
  • 347
    Comes by default in most unix systems (remote editing)
  • 328
    Fast
  • 312
    Highly configurable
  • 297
    Less mouse dependence
  • 247
    Lightweight
  • 145
    Speed
  • 100
    Plugins
  • 97
    Hardcore
  • 82
    It's for pros
  • 65
    Vertically split windows
  • 30
    Open-source
  • 25
    Modal editing
  • 22
    No remembering shortcuts, instead "talks" to the editor
  • 21
    It stood the Test of Time
  • 16
    Unicode
  • 13
    VimPlugins
  • 13
    Everything is on the keyboard
  • 13
    Stick with terminal
  • 12
    Dotfiles
  • 11
    Flexible Indenting
  • 10
    Hands stay on the keyboard
  • 10
    Efficient and powerful
  • 10
    Programmable
  • 9
    Everywhere
  • 9
    Large number of Shortcuts
  • 8
    A chainsaw for text editing
  • 8
    Unmatched productivity
  • 7
    Developer speed
  • 7
    Super fast
  • 7
    Makes you a true bearded developer
  • 7
    Because its not Emacs
  • 7
    Modal editing changes everything
  • 6
    You cannot exit
  • 6
    Themes
  • 5
    EasyMotion
  • 5
    Most and most powerful plugins of any editor
  • 5
    Shell escapes and shell imports :!<command> and !!cmd
  • 5
    Intergrated into most editors
  • 5
    Shortcuts
  • 5
    Great on large text files
  • 5
    Habit
  • 5
    Plugin manager options. Vim-plug, Pathogen, etc
  • 4
    Intuitive, once mastered
  • 4
    Perfect command line editor
  • 1
    Not MicroSoft

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Cons of tmux
Cons of Vim
    Be the first to leave a con
    • 8
      Ugly UI
    • 5
      Hard to learn

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    - No public GitHub repository available -

    What is tmux?

    It enables a number of terminals to be created, accessed, and controlled from a single screen. tmux may be detached from a screen and continue running in the background, then later reattached.

    What is Vim?

    Vim is an advanced text editor that seeks to provide the power of the de-facto Unix editor 'Vi', with a more complete feature set. Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing. It is an improved version of the vi editor distributed with most UNIX systems. Vim is distributed free as charityware.

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    What are some alternatives to tmux and Vim?
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