Python.Vii

Python based Vim clone

• Author: Elmar Hinz
• License: MIT

Goal

A fully compatible clone of Vim written in Python, that is configurable and extensible both in VimScript and in Python.

Roadmap

1. Getting usable
2. Getting compatible
3. Enter the future

Reasoning

Vim is a great editor, but VimScript is difficult. This lowers the acceptance of Vim and slows down it's evolution.

By migrating Vim to a beatiful and widely used programming language, I try to bring the editor to a new starting position. I hope to get two communities into the boat, convinced Vim users as well as a lot of Python developers. The PEP processess may serve as a role model how the future evolution can be organized.

There are other projects with the goal to write a better editor than Vim. I think an editor should first catch up with Vim before it can outrun. Without full Vim compatibility the habitual users will not join the company.

Version

• 1.0 Minimal editor

    * Command line: edit, write, quit
    * A rich bunch of actions to move and edit text.
    * See: https://github.com/elmar-hinz/Python.Vii/blob/master/vii/Setup.py
  

Stability

It is a working editor. It is prove of concept, not more. Maybe you like to test it and report you feedback.

For now there is still too much resarch and dynamic to ask for pull requests, but stay tuned to join the development within a few years, if I find the time to drive this experiment any further.

Installation

The devolopment is done on OS X with homebrew Python 3. The editor depends on the Python ncurses library.