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Vim VS Kate

Compare Vim VS Kate and see what are their differences

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Contents:
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  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Vim logo Vim

Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Kate logo Kate

The Kate Editor Homepage
  • Vim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23
  • Kate Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-19

Vim features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Once learned, Vim can significantly speed up text editing with its modal editing, keyboard shortcuts, and commands that allow for quick navigation and manipulation of text.
  • Lightweight
    Vim is a very lightweight editor, consuming minimal system resources, making it highly performant even on systems with lower specifications.
  • Customizability
    Vim is highly configurable and extensible through plugins and user-defined settings, allowing users to tailor the editor to their specific needs.
  • Ubiquity
    Vim is available on almost every Unix-like system and even on Windows, making it a ubiquitous tool that you can rely on being available in most environments.
  • Support for Multiple Programming Languages
    Vim supports a wide range of programming languages out of the box and offers syntax highlighting, which can be enhanced through plugins.
  • Powerful Search and Replace
    Vim offers robust searching and replacing functionalities, including support for regular expressions, which can be a powerful tool for developers.

Possible disadvantages of Vim

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Vim's modal editing and extensive set of commands can be daunting for new users, requiring significant time and effort to master.
  • Minimal Default Config
    The default configuration of Vim is quite minimalistic, which may necessitate additional setup and customization to meet modern development needs.
  • Limited GUI
    Vim primarily operates in a terminal, and while there are graphical variants like GVim, they are not as feature-rich or user-friendly as modern GUI editors.
  • Plugin Management
    While Vim is highly extensible, managing and configuring plugins can be cumbersome compared to more modern editors that offer integrated plugin management.
  • Inconsistent Behavior Across Platforms
    There may be inconsistencies in behavior or available features of Vim across different operating systems, which can complicate its use in certain environments.
  • Lack of Integrated Modern Features
    Vim lacks some modern IDE features like integrated debugging, advanced code introspection, and refined autocompletion, which often require third-party plugins to achieve.

Kate features and specs

  • Speed
    Kate is known for its fast performance even with large files, making it suitable for programming and text editing.
  • Multiple Document Interface
    Kate supports multiple open documents in tabs or splits, allowing easy navigation and multitasking.
  • Syntax Highlighting
    Kate offers syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages, aiding in the readability of code.
  • Plugin Support
    The editor can be extended with various plugins to add additional functionalities, catering to diverse user needs.
  • Powerful Search and Replace
    Advanced search and replace functionality, including support for regular expressions, provides efficient text handling.
  • Cross-Platform
    Available on multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it accessible to a wide audience.
  • Session Management
    Kate supports session saving, allowing users to easily restore their previous work environment.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source software, Kate is free to use and has a community contributing to its improvement.

Possible disadvantages of Kate

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find it challenging to utilize all features effectively due to its extensive capabilities.
  • Dependency on KDE Libraries
    On non-KDE desktops, Kate might require additional KDE libraries, which could be cumbersome to install.
  • Resource Intensive
    Compared to some simpler editors, Kate might consume more system resources, especially with multiple plugins enabled.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    There can be occasional crashes or stability issues, particularly when dealing with very large files or complex operations.
  • Limited Customization
    While Kate offers some customization, it may not be as extensive as other text editors like Emacs or Sublime Text.

Analysis of Vim

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Vim is a good text editor, especially for users who invest the time to learn its powerful commands and features. Its steep learning curve may be challenging initially, but once mastered, it significantly enhances productivity.

Why this product is good

  • Vim is considered a powerful text editor because of its efficiency and versatility. It offers extensive features, such as syntax highlighting, a robust plugin system, and support for numerous programming languages. Vim is highly configurable, enabling users to customize its environment to fit their needs. It is particularly appreciated for its speed and the ability to perform complex text manipulations using simple commands.

Recommended for

    Vim is recommended for programmers, developers, and system administrators who require a highly efficient and customizable text editing experience. It is especially useful for those who work extensively in terminal environments or need a quick, resource-light text editor for remote systems.

Analysis of Kate

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Kate is generally considered a good choice among text editors, especially for users who appreciate its integration within the KDE desktop environment and need a highly customizable and feature-rich text editing tool.

Why this product is good

  • Kate is a popular text editor that is part of the KDE suite. It is known for its robust feature set, which includes support for multiple documents in one window (MDI), an extensive plugin system, and a strong focus on text editing for developers. It supports syntax highlighting for a wide variety of programming languages, making it useful for coders. Additionally, it offers features such as a built-in terminal, powerful search and replace functionality, and block selection mode, enhancing productivity for technical users.

Recommended for

  • Programmers who use KDE and need a versatile text editor.
  • Users looking for an editor with advanced features like split windows and plugin extensibility.
  • Technical writers and developers who need efficient editing tools with syntax highlighting.

Vim videos

+ Add

What Vim Is and Why You Should Learn It

More videos:

  • Review - JAC Vapour VIM Review - JAC does a side by side mod...
  • Review - Jac Vapour VIM - Quick Look

Kate videos

+ Add

YSL MONOGRAM KATE BAG REVIEW AFTER ONE YEAR - WEAR&TEAR , WHAT FITS, WORTH IT?! 2020 | SAINT LAURENT

More videos:

  • Review - Kate Somerville Review - Worth it?
  • Review - WHICH YSL BAG SHOULD YOU BUY? IS IT WORTH THE $$$!?! YSL KATE REVIEW | Margarita Nazarenko

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Vim and Kate)

Vim

Kate

Text Editors
81 81%
Text Editors
19% 19
IDE
79 79%
IDE
21% 21
Software Development
73 73%
Software Development
27% 27
IDEs And Text Editors
100 100%
IDEs And Text Editors
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Vim and Kate

Vim Reviews

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
Vim offers a variety of features like split windows, macros, and extensive customization options. It has a steep learning curve, but once you master it, you’ll be amazed at the speed and productivity it brings to your coding workflow. Vim is a favorite among experienced developers who value speed and efficiency above all else.
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
It’s tough to say which developers would enjoy Vim as a text editor. It’s an old system with an outdated interface. Yet, it still has the charm and powerful feature-set that the average developer needs. I would recommend it to more advanced developers who enjoy using open source software and being a part of a community–like the one you can find behind Vim.
Source: kinsta.com
12 Best LaTeX Editors You Should Use
The entire installation process is perfectly documented on their Sourceforge page, which you must definitely pay a visit. There is another standalone Vim software, known as the gVim that brings a GUI-based interface to the Vim document editor. Vim-LaTeX has been developed specifically for the programmers and it is so highly configurable that it can function anyway, ranging...
Source: beebom.com
The Top 7 Notepad++ Alternatives for You
Vim is a totally free Notepad++ alternative. It is available to use on Windows, Mac and Linux computers and it is very powerful. I was able to customize Vim to get it to look and function just how I want it. There is really good help support with Vim so if you are new to programming it will get you through most issues.
Source: www.technize.com
10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
Vim is an advanced text editor open source tool which is also considered to be an IDE in its way. This tool allows managing your text editing activities with vim editors and UNIX System which can be used on-premise or online.
Source: www.guru99.com

Kate Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Kate should be more popular than Vim. It has been mentiond 45 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.

Vim mentions (10)

  • regular Vim has lua?!
    Lua is quite small, encouraging distros to include it. The ubuntu gvim has, and the gvim AppImage linked from vim.org does. The default Makefile from github is set up to not include it, but you can uncomment one line there to get it. Source: about 2 years ago
  • is there a way to make highlighted text persistent after quit when using something like [match Search /\%'.line('.').'l/] ?
    I've not used vimwiki locally (tho I'm old enough to remember the Vim wiki on vim.org :), but I think what you are wanting to do is extend vimwiki's syntax file. I presume it installs one at $VIMRUNTIM/syntax or or ~/.vim/syntax. If this sounds right, then create a ~/.vim/after/syntax/vimwiki.vim file and place your match command in there. Then everytime you open a vimwiki file it should apply your... Source: over 2 years ago
  • vim.org - Is there a reason for this 1800s-esque design?
    Vim.org has 242k total visitors, tailwindcss.com has 4.4m, planetscale.com has 412k, jpl.nasa.gov has 2.6m, all built with Tailwind, all several years younger than Vim's website. Unnecessary comparison, unnecessary defence. It's a valuable tool, fine, but a complete disregard for anyone who doesn't love a crappy website and would like to navigate a website like a normal human is not something to be defended. Maybe... Source: over 2 years ago
  • What is YOUR process of writing ?
    I write in Vim with some customizations in my vimrc to gear it more towards prose writing than code editing. It's not pretty, but Normal Mode and Ex commands are the most powerful text editing tools out there, so that means I spend less time on making corrections and other edits. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Why developers need to know about Vim
    If you are open minded and would like to try it out, click me for more information! Cheers. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
View more

Kate mentions (45)

  • Leaving Neovim for Zed
    A lot of editors are being discussed here but I see nobody has mentioned Kate (KDE's Advanced Text Editor) [1] in the conversation yet, so I'm doing it. Kate is a very mature and capable editor. It natively supports LSP and has much, much more to offer in terms of project management, support for build system, SQL database integration, and of course, advanced editing features. I started using it a few years back... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • JetBrains' unremovable AI assistant meets irresistible outcry
    Have a look at Kate, its not bad and has good support for LSPs https://kate-editor.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Multiple Notepad++ Flaws Let Attackers Execute Arbitrary Code
    Maybe there are power features or something which makes Notepad++ better, but for my usage Kate (https://kate-editor.org/) fits the same niche. Fast startup / UI, but it has enough features to technically be an IDE (including an LSP apparently). - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • In you opinion is it better to code the arduino in the arduino language or c++, and do you prefer the arduino IDE or vs code IDE
    The Arduino IDE is quite primitive though, and poorly suited for larger or complex projects - if it starts getting in my way I'll feed my project to kate and a makefile. Source: about 2 years ago
  • "Why people pirate Microsoft Word" and the problems with everyday software like Microsoft Office being ridiculously expensive.
    Kate - a very powerful, very fearure-rich (including language server support for IDE-quality code completion and analysis and error checking for most mainstream languages) alternative to VS Code (has a very similar layout, git integration, and command pallette) that's much faster and lighter and isn't from Microsoft (it's FLOSS). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Vim and Kate, you can also consider the following products

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

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

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.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

VSCodium - Binary releases of Visual Sudio Code without Microsoft branding, telemetry and licensing

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

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