What is Vim and Why Learn It?
Vim is one of the most popular text editors for Linux systems. It is a highly customizable editor that offers an efficient way of editing text files, making it ideal for coding, writing, and even web development. With its wide range of features, Vim can be used to create complex documents quickly and easily. Learning Vim provides users with the ability to navigate and edit text files faster than ever before. Additionally, it allows them to customize their workflow by creating custom shortcuts or macros that make their work easier and more efficient.
In this article, we will discuss what Vim is, how to install it on your Linux system, and list of Vim Cheat Sheets for linux system administrator reference.
1. How to Install it on Your Linux System
# dnf -y install vim
Example :
[root@oraclelinux ~]# dnf -y install vim Last metadata expiration check: 20:03:59 ago on Sat 14 Jan 2023 09:14:35 PM +08. Dependencies resolved. ============================================================================================================= Package Architecture Version Repository Size ============================================================================================================= Installing: vim-enhanced x86_64 2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4 ol8_appstream 1.4 M Installing dependencies: glibc-gconv-extra x86_64 2.28-211.0.1.el8 ol8_baseos_latest 1.5 M gpm-libs x86_64 1.20.7-17.el8 ol8_appstream 39 k vim-common x86_64 2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4 ol8_appstream 6.3 M vim-filesystem noarch 2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4 ol8_appstream 51 k Transaction Summary ============================================================================================================= Install 5 Packages Total download size: 9.3 M Installed size: 36 M Downloading Packages: (1/5): gpm-libs-1.20.7-17.el8.x86_64.rpm 55 kB/s | 39 kB 00:00 (2/5): glibc-gconv-extra-2.28-211.0.1.el8.x86_64.rpm 1.3 MB/s | 1.5 MB 00:01 (3/5): vim-filesystem-8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.noarch.rpm 247 kB/s | 51 kB 00:00 (4/5): vim-enhanced-8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64.rpm 1.5 MB/s | 1.4 MB 00:00 (5/5): vim-common-8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64.rpm 2.8 MB/s | 6.3 MB 00:02 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 4.1 MB/s | 9.3 MB 00:02 Running transaction check Transaction check succeeded. Running transaction test Transaction test succeeded. Running transaction Preparing : 1/1 Installing : vim-filesystem-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.noarch 1/5 Installing : gpm-libs-1.20.7-17.el8.x86_64 2/5 Running scriptlet: gpm-libs-1.20.7-17.el8.x86_64 2/5 Installing : glibc-gconv-extra-2.28-211.0.1.el8.x86_64 3/5 Running scriptlet: glibc-gconv-extra-2.28-211.0.1.el8.x86_64 3/5 Installing : vim-common-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 4/5 Installing : vim-enhanced-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 5/5 Running scriptlet: vim-enhanced-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 5/5 Running scriptlet: vim-common-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 5/5 Verifying : glibc-gconv-extra-2.28-211.0.1.el8.x86_64 1/5 Verifying : gpm-libs-1.20.7-17.el8.x86_64 2/5 Verifying : vim-common-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 3/5 Verifying : vim-enhanced-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 4/5 Verifying : vim-filesystem-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.noarch 5/5 Installed: glibc-gconv-extra-2.28-211.0.1.el8.x86_64 gpm-libs-1.20.7-17.el8.x86_64 vim-common-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 vim-enhanced-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.x86_64 vim-filesystem-2:8.0.1763-19.0.1.el8_6.4.noarch Complete!
2. List of Linux Vim Cheat Sheets for System Administrator
a. Great Practical Ideas for Computer Scientists vim cheat sheet
https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~15131/f17/topics/vim/vim-cheatsheet.pdf
b. RTORR – Vim Cheat Sheet
https://vim.rtorr.com/
d. Vim cheatsheet – Devhints
https://devhints.io/vim
e. A Great Vim Cheat Sheet
https://vimsheet.com/
f. alexbrillant/vim-cheat-sheet – GitHub
https://github.com/alexbrillant/vim-cheat-sheet
g. Vim Cheat Sheet & Quick Reference
https://quickref.me/vim
Conclusion
Vim is an incredibly powerful text editor that has been around for decades. It is a great tool for developers and power users who want to get the most out of their Linux experience. Vim can help you to quickly write code, edit files, and navigate directories with ease. With its wide range of features and customization options, Vim can make your Linux experience much more efficient and enjoyable. From editing configuration files to writing scripts, Vim is the perfect tool for any task in the Linux environment.