>A lot of modern IDEs provide features that are pretty close to magic, compared to what emacs sports.
This is true, so why did I go with vim?
Well first, I'm primarily using Ruby not Java, so the magic available in IDEs is somewhat diminished. But more to the point, vim is really well optimized for the widest array of types of editing. It also has the advantage of critical mass open source immortality.
So when I hone my vim/emacs skills, it's an investment for the next 50 years, during which time I'll have no problem using my preferred editor on my preferred platform with whatever languages happen to be striking my fancy.
This is true, so why did I go with vim?
Well first, I'm primarily using Ruby not Java, so the magic available in IDEs is somewhat diminished. But more to the point, vim is really well optimized for the widest array of types of editing. It also has the advantage of critical mass open source immortality.
So when I hone my vim/emacs skills, it's an investment for the next 50 years, during which time I'll have no problem using my preferred editor on my preferred platform with whatever languages happen to be striking my fancy.