Helix is the darling but i find the arguments about its lack of lsp rather weak… unless you absolutely refuse to create a config file.
i tried kakoune many times, and probably like most coming from decades of vim, were looking for an instant editor without config. Helix appealed for the integrated lsp… but then i found myself into a config file anyway because of all the somewhat inconsistent keybindings – and i still had to mess with its lsp setup anyway. In the end i still ended up creating a sizeable custom config file – nothing in the order of magnitude of my vim config – to get it to what i wanted.
So i went back and gave kakoune a serious look this time (thank you, Helix)… and just found everything more “logical”. Yes i had to setup my lsp config but that was not a big deal. All the keybindings felt more consistent.
Then a discovered scripting and i was off to the races. My setup changes background colour for the mode i am in – insert or command. And i even added a special background colour for when i have my CAPS lock enabled. This simple UI tweak made me an instant convert. Kakoune’s client-server architecture is pure brilliance – being able have any number of servers with each server’s clients sharing common buffers (and actions between separate terminal windows not needing tmux).
i really am on board with kakoune’s objectives of being an editor, plain and simple. Helix feels like a kitchen sink project with feature creep constantly pushing the boundary of the project – wanting to become an IDE or something close to it. i much prefer kakoune’s model. It is a great editor – with enough kak plugins to satisfy my needs.
i agree with you. More people should give kakoune a serious look – it is the best implementation of its kind imo.
Helix is the darling but i find the arguments about its lack of lsp rather weak… unless you absolutely refuse to create a config file.
i tried kakoune many times, and probably like most coming from decades of vim, were looking for an instant editor without config. Helix appealed for the integrated lsp… but then i found myself into a config file anyway because of all the somewhat inconsistent keybindings – and i still had to mess with its lsp setup anyway. In the end i still ended up creating a sizeable custom config file – nothing in the order of magnitude of my vim config – to get it to what i wanted.
So i went back and gave kakoune a serious look this time (thank you, Helix)… and just found everything more “logical”. Yes i had to setup my lsp config but that was not a big deal. All the keybindings felt more consistent.
Then a discovered scripting and i was off to the races. My setup changes background colour for the mode i am in – insert or command. And i even added a special background colour for when i have my CAPS lock enabled. This simple UI tweak made me an instant convert. Kakoune’s client-server architecture is pure brilliance – being able have any number of servers with each server’s clients sharing common buffers (and actions between separate terminal windows not needing tmux).
i really am on board with kakoune’s objectives of being an editor, plain and simple. Helix feels like a kitchen sink project with feature creep constantly pushing the boundary of the project – wanting to become an IDE or something close to it. i much prefer kakoune’s model. It is a great editor – with enough kak plugins to satisfy my needs.
i agree with you. More people should give kakoune a serious look – it is the best implementation of its kind imo.