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GNU Emacs VS Vimwiki

Compare GNU Emacs VS Vimwiki and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

GNU Emacs logo GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editorโ€”and more.

Vimwiki logo Vimwiki

Vimwiki is a personal wiki for Vim โ€“ interlinked, plain text files written in a markup language.
  • GNU Emacs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-19
  • Vimwiki Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

GNU Emacs features and specs

  • Highly Extensible
    GNU Emacs is highly customizable, allowing users to configure nearly every aspect using Emacs Lisp. This makes it remarkably adaptable for various workflows.
  • Rich Plugin Ecosystem
    There is a wide array of plugins available for Emacs, extending its functionality for programming, text editing, project management, and more.
  • Versatile
    Aside from text editing, Emacs can function as an email client, web browser, terminal emulator, and more, making it a powerful multi-purpose tool.
  • Free and Open Source
    GNU Emacs is free to use and modify, with source code available under the GNU General Public License, encouraging collaborative improvement and transparency.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Emacs runs on many different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Unix-like systems, ensuring a wide reach and consistent experience across platforms.

Possible disadvantages of GNU Emacs

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its vast array of features and unique keybindings, new users often find Emacs difficult to learn initially.
  • Performance
    Emacs can be slower compared to more lightweight text editors, especially when heavily customized or handling large files.
  • Keyboard-Centric Interface
    Emacs relies heavily on keyboard shortcuts, which can be overwhelming and complex, leading to potential finger strain from extensive use.
  • Complex Configuration
    While its customizability is a strength, configuring Emacs to fit personal needs can be time-consuming and complex, requiring knowledge of Emacs Lisp.

Vimwiki features and specs

  • Integration with Vim
    Vimwiki is directly integrated into Vim, allowing users to stay within their preferred text editor without needing to switch applications. This enhances productivity and gives users the benefit of Vim's powerful text editing features.
  • Fast and Lightweight
    As a plugin for Vim, Vimwiki is fast and lightweight, without the overhead of more resource-intensive applications. This is beneficial for users who want a quick and efficient way to manage notes and wikis.
  • Customizable and Extensible
    Vimwiki offers customization options to suit different workflows, allowing users to tailor the plugin to their specific needs. Being open-source, it can also be extended with additional features by those with the necessary skills.
  • Offline Access
    Vimwiki operates completely offline, making it ideal for users who need access to their information without an internet connection.
  • Simple Syntax
    The syntax used in Vimwiki is straightforward and easy to learn, which simplifies the process of creating and managing pages, links, and to-do lists efficiently.

Possible disadvantages of Vimwiki

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For users who are not already familiar with Vim, there is a significant learning curve. Vim's modal editing and command structure can be complex for new users to master.
  • Limited Collaboration Features
    Vimwiki is primarily designed for individual use and lacks native support for collaborative editing features, which might be a drawback for teams needing to work together on wikis.
  • Dependency on Vim
    Since Vimwiki is built for Vim, it relies on users having Vim installed and being comfortable using it as their text editor, which can be a limitation for those preferring other editors.
  • No Native Cloud Sync
    Vimwiki does not offer built-in cloud synchronization, requiring users to set up external tools or version control systems to access their wikis across different devices.
  • Limited Multimedia Handling
    Vimwiki primarily supports text-based content, and its handling of multimedia content like images and videos is limited, which can be restrictive for users who need rich media documentation.

Analysis of GNU Emacs

Overall verdict

  • GNU Emacs is widely considered to be a powerful and versatile text editor, especially among programmers and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Highly Customizable: Emacs can be extensively customized with Emacs Lisp, enabling users to tailor the editor to fit their specific workflow.
  • Rich Ecosystem: There is a large variety of plug-ins and extensions available, which can transform it into much more than just a text editor.
  • Built-in Tools: Emacs includes numerous built-in tools such as a debugger, calendar, email client, and file manager, making it a comprehensive development environment.
  • Cross-Platform: Emacs runs on multiple platforms, which makes it accessible to a broad audience.

Recommended for

  • Programmers and developers who appreciate a customizable and extensible tool.
  • Users who want to integrate various development tools into a single environment.
  • Individuals comfortable with learning Emacs Lisp to create and understand custom scripts and configurations.
  • People interested in a text editor that has a strong and supportive community.

GNU Emacs videos

+ Add

Switching to GNU Emacs

Vimwiki videos

+ Add

My Semi-Complete VimWiki Workflow

More videos:

  • Review - vimwiki - Notetaking with Markdown and Preview - Linux TUI

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU Emacs and Vimwiki)

GNU Emacs

Vimwiki

Text Editors
100 100%
Text Editors
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
Note Taking
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
IDE
0% 0
Knowledge Management
0 0%
Knowledge Management
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using GNU Emacs and Vimwiki. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GNU Emacs and Vimwiki

GNU Emacs Reviews

14 BEST LaTeX Editor for Mac & Windows in 2022
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It is one of the best LaTeX editor for Mac that allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com
The Top 7 Notepad++ Alternatives for You
Emacs has been around in its various forms since 1976 and is another very worthy Notepad++ alternative. When I first started using Emacs I have to admit that I didnโ€™t find it the easiest to use. But once I got used to it I realized just how powerful Emacs is for the programming community.
Source: www.technize.com
10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com
7 open source alternatives to Dreamweaver
Vim or Emacs. Without participating in the holy war between these two traditional text editors, I can safely say that there are a number of enhancements for web editing available for both. So if you're already a terminal junkie, take your pick. Or, if those don't satisfy, try one of these Emacs/Vim alternatives.
Source: opensource.com
10 Best Sublime Text Alternatives in 2019
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com

Vimwiki Reviews

We have no reviews of Vimwiki yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Vimwiki should be more popular than GNU Emacs. It has been mentiond 17 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU Emacs mentions (6)

  • Emacs daemon as sytemd service in debian 12 (gnome)
    Cat .config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/emacs.service [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1) https://gnu.org/software/emacs/ [Service] Type=notify ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/emacs --fg-daemon # Emacs will exit with status 15 after having received SIGTERM, which # is the default "KillSignal" value systemd uses to stop services. SuccessExitStatus=15 # The location of the... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Why does emacs exec path variable not just copy the users path variable?
    ## If your Emacs is installed in a non-standard location, you may need ## to copy this file to a standard directory, eg ~/.config/systemd/user/ . ## If you install this file by hand, change the "Exec" lines below ## to use absolute file names for the executables. [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1)... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Hi DM's, what medium do you use to organise your campaign?
    For gathering notes, writing and organizing, Org-Roam which implies Org and Emacs. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • This Guy is getting out of control at this point.
    I was heading to gnu.org/software/emacs to prove my point and it said:. Source: over 4 years ago
  • opam doesn't see emacs?
    <><> Version-specific details <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ๐Ÿซ Version 1 Repository default Homepage: "http://gnu.org/software/emacs" Bug-reports: "https://github.com/ocaml/opam-repository/issues" Authors: "anil@recoil.org" Maintainer: "anil@recoil.org" License: "GPL-1.0-or-later" Flags: conf Synopsis Virtual package to install the Emacs editor Description This... Source: almost 5 years ago
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Vimwiki mentions (17)

  • Ask HN: Did anyone write a book in Nano?
    I wrote a manuscript in vim a couple Novembers ago, for NaNoWrimo. I used a couple plugins, primarily Goyo [1] to add some margins, but otherwise, yeah, plain vim. I don't think it was really any more productive than my current workflow in Obsidian. Vim keybindings are more useful for editing than for writing (and for editing code in particular, where the changes you're making are much more structured). Also,... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • What are some ways you used Python to make YOUR life easier?
    I have created full on programs to systematically created screenshots with the game emulators with RetroArch. Also an automation tool to use a preexisting program named chdman that converts files into a needed format (also unpacking from archives). A little Python script to create a recents list of files for Vimwiki. I also created a program to access ๐ŸŒˆ emojis ๐ŸŒˆ. I wrote my own GE Proton downloader and manager.... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Lightweight and efficient CLI note taking app
    I use VimWiki inside of Neovim, with additional Plugins/configurations. Lightweight and let's you use the power of (Neo)Vim. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Note-taking help. Zettelkasten method
    Well, Zettelkasten looks to me much like wiki. And standard wiki solution for vim is https://vimwiki.github.io/ and it should work quite well for you. Also, it is all plain text files so conversion should not be that difficult. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Ask HN: System to capture personal notes on meetings and project progress
    I end up taking linear notes in a text file, with un-resolved or in-progress items at the bottom. They get pushed downward linearly until they are finished, at which point they get immortalized in the greppable daily log above. Requires a lot of discipline and doesn't have a lot of structure, but having the "working area" next to the journal has served me well. I use vimwiki[1] for most of the editing, in addition... - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU Emacs and Vimwiki, you can also consider the following products

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Obsidian.md - A second brain, for you, forever. Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Notational FZF - Notational Velocity for Vim.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Org mode - Org: an Emacs Mode for Notes, Planning, and Authoring

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