After over a decade using Vim/Neovim, the author experimented with Zed, a new electron-based editor. While appreciating Zed's native performance, smooth scrolling, and collaborative features, the author found the Vim mode lacking compared to their highly customized Neovim setup. Specifically, plugins and keybindings didn't translate seamlessly, hindering their workflow. Although impressed by Zed's potential, particularly its speed and built-in collaboration, the author ultimately returned to Neovim, finding its flexibility and familiarity more valuable than Zed's current advantages. They remain optimistic about Zed's future and plan to revisit it as it matures.
Shantanu Goel, a long-time Vim/Neovim user with over a decade of experience, recounts his initial exploration of Zed, a collaborative code editor built using Rust and WebAssembly. Having deeply ingrained Vim habits, he approaches Zed with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism, eager to see if it can live up to the hype and potentially offer a compelling alternative to his established workflow.
Goel begins by acknowledging the impressive performance of Zed, particularly its speed and responsiveness. He highlights the near-instant startup time, a stark contrast to his experience with increasingly complex and sometimes sluggish Neovim setups. This immediate responsiveness extends to general usage, with smooth scrolling and quick operations, even with large files. He attributes this performance to Zed's architectural foundation, built on Rust and leveraging WebAssembly.
Despite appreciating Zed's performance, Goel encounters several friction points stemming from his entrenched Vim muscle memory. He details his struggles adapting to Zed's different modal editing approach. While superficially similar to Vim, subtle variations in command execution and keybindings create a learning curve. Specifically, he mentions the necessity of using "Escape" to exit insert mode, as opposed to other viable Vim options like "Ctrl-[", a nuance that disrupts his ingrained workflow. He also notes the different behavior of the "." (dot) command, which repeats the last action, and observes that it doesn't always function as expected in Zed compared to his Vim experience.
Further, Goel explores Zed's built-in collaboration features, which are a core selling point of the editor. While recognizing the potential of real-time collaborative editing, he expresses reservations about its practical implementation. He finds the collaborative experience somewhat cumbersome, particularly in managing shared cursors and navigating the presence of multiple users within the same document.
Beyond the collaboration aspects, Goel also examines Zed's plugin ecosystem. Coming from the rich and extensively developed Vim plugin environment, he finds Zed's offerings comparatively limited. He acknowledges that Zed is still in its early stages of development, and therefore anticipates growth in this area. However, the current lack of comprehensive plugin support presents a significant obstacle for a user accustomed to the extensive customization and functionality offered by Vim plugins.
Finally, Goel concludes his initial assessment of Zed with a balanced perspective. He recognizes the editor's promising performance and the innovative potential of its collaborative features. However, he emphasizes that, for a seasoned Vim user like himself, overcoming deeply ingrained habits and adapting to a new editing paradigm presents a significant challenge. He remains open to further exploration of Zed as it matures, particularly as its plugin ecosystem expands, but for now, he intends to stick with his well-established and highly customized Neovim environment. He implies that Zed might be more readily adopted by users who are not already heavily invested in the Vim ecosystem.
Summary of Comments ( 43 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42817277
HN commenters generally expressed interest in Zed, particularly its performance and native UI. Some compared it favorably to VS Code, highlighting Zed's speed and responsiveness. Several users questioned the viability of Zed's closed-source model and subscription pricing, especially given the strong presence of free and open-source alternatives. A few commenters noted the post author's seeming bias toward Zed, given their employment history. Others discussed specific features, such as collaborative editing, and the desire for Vim keybindings. The potential for vendor lock-in was also raised as a concern.
The Hacker News post "Trying out Zed after more than a decade of Vim/Neovim" sparked a lively discussion with several compelling comments. Many commenters shared their own experiences and perspectives on switching editors, the merits of Zed, and the enduring appeal of Vim.
Several users discussed the challenges of breaking away from Vim's deeply ingrained muscle memory and the high switching costs involved. One commenter described Vim as a "lifestyle" rather than merely a text editor, highlighting the significant investment users make in customizing and mastering it. This sentiment was echoed by others who expressed doubt about finding a sufficient replacement for their highly personalized Vim setups.
Despite the acknowledged difficulty of switching, some commenters expressed cautious optimism about Zed. They were drawn to features like collaborative editing and the potential for improved performance, especially with large files. One user pointed out Zed's unique approach to handling multiple cursors, suggesting it could be a compelling improvement over existing solutions. Another appreciated the native support for features like fuzzy finding and multiple selections, eliminating the need for plugins.
However, skepticism about Zed's closed-source nature and subscription model was also prevalent. Several commenters expressed concerns about vendor lock-in and the potential for future pricing changes. Some questioned the long-term viability of a closed-source editor, contrasting it with the enduring stability and community-driven development of Vim. The reliance on Electron was also mentioned as a potential downside, with some users raising concerns about performance and resource consumption.
A few commenters shared their experiences with other editors like Helix and Kakoune, suggesting them as alternatives for those seeking a modern editing experience while retaining some of Vim's modal editing philosophy. The discussion also touched upon the broader trend of web-based development environments and the potential for cloud-based editors to disrupt traditional desktop applications.
Overall, the comments reflect a mixture of curiosity and cautious skepticism toward Zed. While some users are intrigued by its features and modern approach, others remain firmly entrenched in the Vim ecosystem, highlighting the significant investment and personalized workflows that make switching a difficult decision. The closed-source nature and subscription model further contribute to the hesitation, with many users preferring the openness and flexibility of community-driven projects like Vim and Neovim.