Hmm, I didn't expect that last one.

Why do so many people prefer :wq over :x?

Nano literally tells you all the shortcuts to your face.

Same. As a vim user I now can't quit nano.

Very intuitive - Ctrl + X... unlike vim.

it's right next to the turbo button

If anything it is dangerous as it will still exit even if changes cannot be saved.

Try editing a file in /etc as a regular user. It happens sometimes and you really want that warning that the write failed.

Anyway, :x is superior. It only writes if there are changes. So, your mtime doesn't change unnecessarily.

VIM Golf.... Same outcome, fewer strokes:

%d|wq

E492: Not an editor command: ggdGwq

I use Vim daily, and i have absolutely no clue what that command would do, what would it do? Delete the document, save and quit?

And then sudo apt install nano

Then again, I have no idea what the difference between vi, vim, emacs, and nano are, so roast away!

Lol. Git Gud, Noob.

Some people like vim the way it is. That's why they haven't re-invented it. If you want to use a more intuitive text editor, there are plenty available (such as nano or micro).They don't need to turn vim into a clone of something that already exists.

As for why it's still the default... It's the same reason why everybody uses QWERTY keyboards when Dvorak is clearly superior. People already know how to type with QWERTY and they don't want to take the time to re-learn with a new layout, change their workflows, etc.

It isn't universal, though. Garuda Linux defaults to micro. The web dev boot camp I was in didn't bring vim up at all! We only used nano! I think that was a disservice to the students, but the instructors must've thought that it would be too confusing.

Why would vim reinvent itself? Vim's functionality has been standard for years, and works as expected. You can always use nano or something similar instead, which is probably a lot more usable to someone who doesn't want to learn all the advanced functionality of vim or emacs

As a ~20 year vim user, and by no means a proficient power user (any time I end up in recording mode, I just mash ESC repeatedly until this start behaving normally again.), I think it's just "it's easier for someone that doesn't know how to use it to learn, than it is for everyone that already knows how to use it to relearn".

Like the damn scroll options on laptop trackpads. Multitouch scroll down = scroll down. Then someone decided it needed to match the way phone scrolling works after smartphones became popular, so now there's lots of scroll down = scroll up software behavior. But the options are still there to behave neither way. If you don't like the vim commands, you're free to install something that behaves in a way that you expect. If you do like vim commands, install it and get the behavior that users have come to expect for the last 20+ years.

Is vi still the default? On Debian it sure isn't, nano is the default and has been for years, and I can only assume the debian derivatives have all followed suit. That'd already be most new installs taken care of.

If you find something that opens vi unexpectedly, double-check $EDITOR's value then file a bug report and tell them to follow $EDITOR.

To ensure the Unix-like standard of maximum backwards compatibility. Vi (the original, before Vim) was made in an age where computer keyboards might not have had luxury features like arrow keys, but did have alphanumeric keys and minimally competent users. It has worked for almost half a century, so unless you're Microsoft, why would you change it?

Even today, many people prefer it because you don't have to move your hand far away from the home row while typing or navigating, and the modality gives the user a much greater toolkit (seriously, I just about nutted when I discovered d i "). Not having to rely on modifiers and the arrow keys also reduces the risk of the repeated stress injury known as Emacs pinky.

Because vim (and emacs too!) is a powerful editor that works purely on command line and most people who are experienced in the Unix world are generally familiar with it. There are plenty of easier editors to use, like nano, that are also widely distributed and you are free to change your default. Being really powerful but you kind of need to know what you're doing is basically unix's whole thing.