Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim • Hacker News Board

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#11

Post by co_dh » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:33 PM UTC

as a developer, I think it's good to remove some rare feature to reduce code complexity.

Also it's good to make this kind of feature as plugin, so it will reduce the code complexity.

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#12

Post by rkowalick » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:33 PM UTC

bstar77 wrote: post #5

I've been using vim for 7 years and I've never even attempted to use this mode. Am I missing out?

It seems like a very good way of using vim knowledge to do non-interactive text processing. You could say, indent a javascript file that is ugly.

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#13

Post by CJefferson » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:36 PM UTC

krick wrote: post #6

Removing pretty powerful feature just because author of fork doesn't use it sounds… well, actually author of fork can remove whatever he likes, but presenting neovim like "refactord vim with more features" isn't fair or even plausible in this case. And for what reasons? Oh, I see, it makes code complicated. Did he think vim'c codebase is scary for no reason? Removing all the code from vim would be the ultimate simpli…

Personally, I think this is an excellent change. If neovim remains 100% compatible with vim, down to every minor issue, then it will be very hard to usefully improve.

Personally I don't use vim, even though I like the concept of vim, because it simply doesn't fit with the ecosystem I want to use (it seems to be hard to integrate clang for auto-complete and syntax highlighting into vim for example, without long hangs or strange visual effects for example, because vim doesn't support threading for example)

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#14

Post by krick » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:36 PM UTC

bstar77 wrote: post #5

I've been using vim for 7 years and I've never even attempted to use this mode. Am I missing out?

Usually not, but over 7 years it's quite probable that there was a couple of times when it would be useful. It's good for batch processing (maybe over several files) using usual vim commands. Something like awk embedded in vim.

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#15

Post by Slackwise » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:36 PM UTC

While I don't particularly care for ex-mode, I think it's weird to be calling it Neo 'vim' without it.

If it's going to become more of a radical departure from Vim and start omitting features as well as adding, I would rather they change the name of the project instead, one that alludes to its Vim heritage rather than having a prefix that means 'new'. Is it a new version of Vim? Or an editor that started as a fork of Vim, but only has the good parts?

Edit: Removed my insult of the name 'Neovim'. Just going to state that I dislike it.

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#16

Post by unclebunkers » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:37 PM UTC

return0 wrote: post #10

octo_t wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

aka "Oh, that's the key I have been hitting by accident"

And for those who are still stuck in it ... :vi to end the madness

exit also works.

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#17

Post by unclebunkers » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:40 PM UTC

Slackwise wrote: post #15

While I don't particularly care for ex-mode, I think it's weird to be calling it Neo 'vim' without it. If it's going to become more of a radical departure from Vim and start omitting features as well as adding, I would rather they change the name of the project instead, one that alludes to its Vim heritage rather than having a prefix that means 'new'. Is it a new version of Vim? Or an editor that started as a fork of…

Throw the baby out with the bath water much?

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#18

Post by tambourine_man » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:40 PM UTC

krick wrote: post #6

Removing pretty powerful feature just because author of fork doesn't use it sounds… well, actually author of fork can remove whatever he likes, but presenting neovim like "refactord vim with more features" isn't fair or even plausible in this case. And for what reasons? Oh, I see, it makes code complicated. Did he think vim'c codebase is scary for no reason? Removing all the code from vim would be the ultimate simpli…

Comparing Ex mode to macros is disingenuous.

I get a shiver every time I hear they are parting from the Vim way, but so far, I have to say their decisions seem very wise.

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#19

Post by tyler_ball » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:40 PM UTC

rkowalick wrote: post #12

bstar77 wrote: post #5

I've been using vim for 7 years and I've never even attempted to use this mode. Am I missing out?

It seems like a very good way of using vim knowledge to do non-interactive text processing. You could say, indent a javascript file that is ugly.

easier than hitting gg=G ?

Re: Remove Ex-Mode from Neovim

#20

Post by stepanbujnak » Fri, Sep 19, 2014, 1:42 PM UTC

krick wrote: post #6

Removing pretty powerful feature just because author of fork doesn't use it sounds… well, actually author of fork can remove whatever he likes, but presenting neovim like "refactord vim with more features" isn't fair or even plausible in this case. And for what reasons? Oh, I see, it makes code complicated. Did he think vim'c codebase is scary for no reason? Removing all the code from vim would be the ultimate simpli…

The project aims to refactor vim's codebase to simplify development and allow new developers to join in by removing old, deprecated code. It doesn't say it is supposed to be 1:1 replacement only with newer code, and from what I've read on both their GitHub issues page and Hacker News, 99% of Vim users actually don't use Ex-mode. There is simply no point spending time and resources to keep in in the tree for the 1% of people actually using it. And even if ex-mode is something some people can't live without, there is still good ol' Vim.