wilsonk / lilly

TUI editor and VIM/Neovim alternative

A VIM-Like editor for your terminal (chat on Discord)

Important

Lilly is in a pre-alpha state, and only suitable for use by developers. This editor is technically usable, it is the exclusive editor used to work on itself, however many features are missing, and there is no guarantee of stable features or a lack of bugs. Features, bug fixes and issues are welcome.

Our project is focused on the development of a text editor that serves as a practical alternative to Vim and Neovim. The primary aim is to provide users with essential features, eliminating the need to navigate a complex ecosystem of Lua plugins. This approach is intended to be welcoming to users of all experience levels.

Milestone 1: A pre-alpha release

Targets:

• Gap buffer to replace string array
• Within line visual mode
• Fix found search result highlighting
• Horizontal scrolling
• Splits (horizontal + vertical)
• Goto def
• List of active but not open buffers
• Search/Find files
• Workspace wide search (ripgrep + roll your own)

Building/running tests

To compile and execute the editor simultaneously run: just.sh. Alternatively you can see all available recipes to invoke by running just.sh -l.

The Rationale

Inclusive Functionality

We have set out to create an editor that encompasses the fundamental capabilities expected by users, rendering it a compelling choice as a Vim/Neovim alternative. Our emphasis is on streamlining the editing process without the necessity of configuring numerous plugins – our core features aim to fulfill these needs.

Simplified User Experience

The intricacies of Lua plugins can be daunting for newcomers and even pose a management challenge for seasoned users. Our editor simplifies the user experience by removing the requirement for extensive plugin management. It offers an approachable and intuitive platform, eliminating the complexities that often accompany plugin management.

Performance Enhancement

Our editor is optimized to offer improved performance, particularly when handling extensive files. It is engineered for speed and responsiveness, designed to enhance your editing efficiency.

VIM-Like Experience

We've crafted the editor to deliver a VIM-like experience, preserving the functionalities that VIM users appreciate. The difference lies in the absence of reliance on a multifaceted ecosystem – our editor consolidates these features within a unified framework.

Transition to our text editor to explore an alternative that is rooted in functionality, accessibility, and performance.

Not convinced?

Not a problem, Neovim/VIM are fantastic existing projects and are freely available for you to use today.

misc + extra information

(experimental GUI render target)