Bram Moolenaar, the creator of the widely respected Vim code editor, has passed away at the age of 62. The family announced his passing in a heartfelt Google Groups message on August 5, revealing a sudden progression of a medical condition that had afflicted him.
Man, I’m sad 😔.
I knew him personally (we worked for the same company at a point in time, although very different departments). I’m also a heavy vim user.
We once were in the same meeting where the unsuspecting meeting chair was taking nodes in emacs org-mode. Most of other meeting members were not geeks, so nobody knew who Bram was. I said “Bram, look at this, they’re taking notes in emacs just to piss you off”, to which he responded “yeah, and it is horrible…” 😁
Farewell and :wq
What was your impression of him?
Unfortunately, I only had limited interactions with him. I was the lead on a project that needed a few things from his team, and we had a number of meetings due to that.
From my limited contact, he seemed like a chill guy. Never made any unreasonable assumptions and had a technical view on how to solve problems.
He advertised his charity on every release, I’m sure they’d appreciate donations in his honor.
He seemed very passionate about this cause and it would be a wonderful way to honor him if you’ve enjoyed using vim. I donated a few dollars a few years back and he wrote me a personal thank you email, which was unexpected. Sad to hear this news. :(
For those that want to pay tribute to Bram, I suggest donating to ICCF, which is the charity that has also been mentioned in Vim’s splash screen since the very beginning (see also:
:help iccfin Vim/Neovim). I’m kinda embarrassed that I never got around to it before — I’ve been using Vim/Neovim for more than two decades!I am a young developer, NeoVim is my choice for every type of text editing. Vim is an amazing tool on par with many of the greatest software products in existence.
This man’s legacy will be honored.
:wq:wq
The contributions will not be forgotten
been using vim daily for 22 years. condolences to the family. :wq
An exceptional piece of software in so many ways, created by a very special person. You are missed.
:wq!
I use Vim everyday! I’m so glad I took the time to learn it as it has increased my productivity significantly and now I can’t imagine not using it. Thanks Bram, for your amazing work over the years. RIP
:wq!
One of the few pieces of software I’m proud of having learned - and use!
:wq!
much love to Bram, I’ve tried vi and instantly felt how much vim helped, a toast to a great mind 🥂
:wq
:wq
:wq!
Everyone’s giving tribute with
:wq!, but don’t forget about:x!andZZ.I started my UNIX/Linux life on Vi and never stopped using it as my preferred editor. Vim was a great and somehow near invisible upgrade. This is truly a great loss but he has left a huge and lasting impact on the world of computing.
:wq
