如果您经常从一个站点移动到另一个站点，或者您的工作涉及到登录到生产系统，那么vim就是合适的选择。

默认情况下，所有*nix机器都会安装vi。

大多数sysdamins更喜欢ksh作为默认shell。KSH使用vi(或emacs)命令击键来搜索历史记录并编辑命令行。

如果你不太了解vi，当你登录到一个标准配置的unix机器上时，你就会受到严重的限制。

仅仅因为这个原因，我推荐vim作为你日常的编辑器。我曾经见过emacs爱好者试图在一个基本的unix服务器上修改配置文件。

击键执行::: Vi编辑将保留键入键的每个排列。这将在决策树中创建一个路径，该路径明确地标识任何命令，而Emacs命令是立即执行的键入键的组合，使用户可以选择是否使用命令。

内存使用和可定制性::: vi是一个更小更快的程序，自定义能力更有限，而Emacs启动时间更长，需要更多内存。然而，它是高度可定制的，并且包含大量的特性，因为它本质上是为文本编辑而设计的Lisp程序的执行环境。

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。

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

Vim was always faster to start up than Emacs. I'm saying that on any machine, out-of-the-box installs of Vim will start up faster than out-of-the-box installs of Emacs. And I tend to think that after a moderate amount of customisation of either one, Vim will still start up faster than Emacs. After that, the other practical difference was Emacs' modes. They make your life tremendously easier when editing XML, C/C++/Java/whatever, LaTeX, and most popular languages you can think of. They make you want to keep the editor open for long sessions and work.

总而言之，我会说Vim让您使用它来完成简短、快速的编辑任务;而Emacs则鼓励您投入长时间的会话。

对我来说，emacs的优点是，

tramp模式允许您通过ssh编辑远程文件。就像本地文件一样。 Tramp-mode + dired =全功能SFTP客户端 支持您需要的所有语言。 内置的终端模拟器(术语模式)，所以我可以继续编码，而无需在应用程序之间切换。 可扩展性任何你不喜欢的东西都可以用lisp来改变。