VI总是可用的，并且将在最残缺的、单用户模式、坏的图形、没有键图、慢的链接机器上运行——因此，仅仅为了系统管理任务，了解如何在它中编辑简单的文件是值得的。

Emacs是一个编辑器中的完整用户界面。其思想是在启动机器时启动Emacs，并且永远不要离开它。可能会有数千个会话。

与使用GUI编辑器/IDE和使用python/awk/等来完成额外任务相比，学习Emacs的功能是否值得，取决于你自己。

Vim是一个方便的编辑器，你只需输入Vim的文件名来打开文件，编辑，保存和关闭。

Emacs是一个伪装成编辑器的“操作系统”，你可以评估代码来改变它的行为，并按你的喜好扩展它。在emacs上接收/发送电子邮件的模式类似于操作系统上的电子邮件软件。

当进行简单的编辑时，例如，修改配置文件，我使用vim。

否则，我永远不会离开emacs。

Emacs具有Viper模式，因此在某种意义上，它提供了一个超特性集(除了那些在使用Viper和Vimpulse的Emacs中缺少哪些Vim特性?)

vi(和VIM IIRC)的重量较轻(它可以就地编辑文件)，但提供的功能较少(子进程通信、扩展语言)。

Emacs的好处

Emacs has both non-modal interface (by default) and modal one (e.g. it can emulate vim and vi through Evil, Viper, or Vimpulse). One of the most ported computer programs. It runs in text mode and under graphical user interfaces on a wide variety of operating systems, including most Unix-like systems (Linux, the various BSDs, Solaris, AIX, IRIX, macOSetc.), MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, AmigaOS, and OpenVMS. Unix systems, both free and proprietary, frequently provide Emacs bundled with the operating system. Emacs server architecture allows multiple clients to attach to the same Emacs instance and share the buffer list, kill ring, undo history and other state. Pervasive online help system with keybindings, functions and commands documented on the fly. Extensible and customizable Lisp programming language variant (Emacs Lisp), with features that include: A powerful and extensible file manager (dired), integrated debugger, and a large set of development and other tools. Having every command be an Emacs Lisp function enables commands to DWIM (Do What I Mean) by programmatically responding to past actions and document state. For example, a switch-or-split-window command could switch to another window if one exists, or create one if needed. This cuts down on the number of keystrokes and commands a user must remember. "An OS inside an OS". Emacs Lisp enables Emacs to be programmed far beyond editing features. Even a base install contains several dozen applications, including two web browsers, news readers, several mail agents, four IRC clients, a version of ELIZA, and a variety of games. All of these applications are available anywhere Emacs runs, with the same user interface and functionality. Starting with version 24, Emacs includes a package manager, making it easy to install additional applications including alternate web browsers, EMMS (Emacs Multimedia System), and more. Also available are numerous packages for programming, including some targeted at specific language/library combinations or coding styles.

vi类编辑器的好处

Edit commands are composable Vi has a modal interface (which Emacs can emulate) Historically, vi loads faster than Emacs. While deeply associated with UNIX tradition, it runs on all systems that can implement the standard C library, including UNIX, Linux, AmigaOS, DOS, Windows, Mac, BeOS, OpenVMS, IRIX, AIX, HP-UX, BSD and POSIX-compliant systems. Extensible and customizable through Vim script or APIs for interpreted languages such as Python, Ruby, Perl, and Lua Ubiquitous. Essentially all Unix and Unix-like systems come with vi (or a variant) built-in. Vi (and ex, but not vim) is specified in the POSIX standard. System rescue environments, embedded systems (notably those with busybox) and other constrained environments often include vi, but not emacs.

来源:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editor_war

这就像苹果和橘子。两者都有不同的设计和理念。Vim是一个文本编辑器，而Emacs是一个Lisp解释器，可以进行文本编辑。

我使用Vim是因为它快速、狡猾，而且非常擅长处理文本。它具有可组合的自然键绑定，可以使您的开发任务真正协调一致。Vim基于一种简单的*nix哲学，即做好一件事——即文本操作。

使用bash/zsh和tmux扩展Vim通常很简单，可以学到很多东西。恕我直言，这是一个很好的学习曲线。关键是要学习如何集成这些东西以获得更大的工作应用程序。使用Vim，您需要学习集成，因为除非您告诉它如何进行集成，否则它不会自然地进行集成。另一个值得我使用的扩展是Tig。它是一个基于ncurses的Git前端。我只是有一个绑定，它无声地打开Tig，然后我在那里做所有Git的事情。

由最终用户来决定什么是最好的。Emacs和Vim经受住了时间的考验，证明了它们的价值。最终，一个优秀的程序员只需要一支笔和一张纸就可以发挥创造力。好的算法不需要编辑器的支持。所以两种方法都试试，看看哪种方法能让你更有效率。从这两个软件中学习设计模式，因为有很多东西需要学习和发现!

Vim:

作为一个简单的编辑器更好(简单任务所需的键更少) 更活跃的脚本社区-内部语言:vimscript 一个集中的脚本、插件、配色方案…… 在python、ruby中也可扩展 可移植(emacs在这方面存在一些问题)

Emacs:

non modal by default (most of today's editors have taken this approach). Though there is evil-mode which emulates vim behavior. more powerful language for extending it (elisp is a full blown language, and in emacs you can practically redefine everything; while in vim you cannot redefine build in functions of the editor. On the downside, vimscript is relatively similar to today's dynamic languages while elisp doesn't resemble pretty much anything) more extendible excellent support for GNU tools (the bunch of them)

就我个人而言，我更喜欢vim——它很小，做了它应该做的事情，当我想要一个完整的IDE时，我打开它VS. Emacs的方法是一个编辑器，它想成为一个IDE(或者我应该说，一个操作系统)，但并不完全，在我看来，过时了。以前有电子邮件客户端、ftp客户端、俄罗斯方块……一个包(emacs)中的东西是有意义的……如今，它不再是了。

然而，这两者都是程序员和超级用户社区用户之间的宗教讨论话题，在这方面，如果接触(在同一句话/问题中)，两者都很适合开始激烈的战争。