(root)/Scribbles/Vim emulation is not the real thing.md RSS
during the book club you asked why I claimed emulating Vim bindings was not enough I thought about it some more and here are some features that become ingrained in your workflow but that aren't or can't be implemented with plugins in other editors: windows, buffers, tab pages the expression register options folds ex commands the undo tree built-in help pages global marks the quickfix list the argument list what do you use the expression register, options, the quickfix list, and the argument list for? those are the ones that i haven't heard of the argument list is the `:ar *<CR>` thing that I use for slides and for meeting notes `:ar` populates the argument list and `:n` and `:N` navigate through it the quickfix list is similar to the argument list, just that it's other commands that populate it `:make` and `:vimgrep` populate the quickfix list and `:cn` and `:cp` navigate through it the quickfix list is more for compiler errors (`:make`) and search results (`:vimgrep`) the expression register let you insert the output of a Vimscript expression for example, to insert the current date, you do `<C-R>=strftime('%F')<CR>` the `<C-R>=` part is what says "please insert from the expression register" you can also do `@=SomeVimscriptExpression<CR>`, which executes the key binds in the string that `SomeVimscriptExpression` evaluates to the `@=` part is what says "please execute key binds from the expression register" and options are global settings you set with the `:set` command (short `:se`) `:se ic` makes search patterns case insensitive, `:se list` displays tabs and trailing whitespace visually, `:se cc=80` puts a colored ruler on column 80, `:se ve=all` lets you put the cursor anywhere on screen and just insert stuff, `:se wrap` enables soft wrapping, `:se lbr` makes it so lines always break at full words, etc. etc. for example, in my vimrc I have `se lbr` so lines only break at full words, but when editing binary files I like to disable that with `:se nolbr<CR>` so lines break at the last column of the screen so things don't jump around when I type ahh, i see what you meant about vim emulation not being the full thing now also, emacs has analogues to most of those that i use frequently lol yes I can imagine
© 2026 Emilien Breton ← 🍁 →

during the book club you asked why I claimed emulating Vim bindings was not enough

I thought about it some more and here are some features that become ingrained in your workflow but that aren't or can't be implemented with plugins in other editors:

windows, buffers, tab pages

the expression register

options

folds

ex commands

the undo tree

built-in help pages

global marks

the quickfix list

the argument list

what do you use the expression register, options, the quickfix list, and the argument list for?

those are the ones that i haven't heard of

the argument list is the :ar *<CR> thing that I use for slides and for meeting notes

:ar populates the argument list and :n and :N navigate through it

the quickfix list is similar to the argument list, just that it's other commands that populate it

:make and :vimgrep populate the quickfix list and :cn and :cp navigate through it

the quickfix list is more for compiler errors (:make) and search results (:vimgrep)

the expression register let you insert the output of a Vimscript expression

for example, to insert the current date, you do <C-R>=strftime('%F')<CR>

the <C-R>= part is what says "please insert from the expression register"

you can also do @=SomeVimscriptExpression<CR>, which executes the key binds in the string that SomeVimscriptExpression evaluates to

the @= part is what says "please execute key binds from the expression register"

and options are global settings you set with the :set command (short :se)

:se ic makes search patterns case insensitive, :se list displays tabs and trailing whitespace visually, :se cc=80 puts a colored ruler on column 80, :se ve=all lets you put the cursor anywhere on screen and just insert stuff, :se wrap enables soft wrapping, :se lbr makes it so lines always break at full words, etc. etc.

for example, in my vimrc I have se lbr so lines only break at full words, but when editing binary files I like to disable that with :se nolbr<CR> so lines break at the last column of the screen so things don't jump around when I type

ahh, i see what you meant about vim emulation not being the full thing now

also, emacs has analogues to most of those that i use frequently lol

yes I can imagine