1. It is fast to open. I can open a terminal and type `vim` and then `a` in about 1-2 seconds. This is useful because I'm often on a call when someone says something that suddenly seems profound, and I realize I should be taking notes that call. Using a terminal and Vim, I can open a buffer and start typing almost by the time the speaker finishes their sentence.
2. Key bindings. "Change in word", "delete in sentence", indenting whole blocks. "A". I just can't get this productive in any other editor, even those that offer "Vim keybindings" but don't bring everything.
3. I want local notes for `grep`-ing. Somebody asks if anyone knows about the `foobar_prod` table? `grep -Hrn foobar_prod .` in the `notes/` folder answers the question in a heartbeat. Using regex with grep's `E` flag is a feature I haven't found in common note engine search functions.
4. I use Vim for code. This means when I learn a new Vim trick while coding, I get the benefit of extra chances to use/cement it while note taking or any other text editing need.
5. Vim is ubiquitous. It's on or available for every system I use, every Docker container and every remote server. 99% of my note taking is on my Mac (work computer), but when I need to do it in Linux everything is familiar.
There are downsides I'd be happy to discuss if people are interested. I'm leaving them out now because OP asked about why I use what I use, not a balanced review of preferences and alternatives.
I write notes electronically with the pycharm ide in plain text because it is the same editor I use as much as I can. I would like to have a live markdown, rst, or html editor but all the ones I know are slow and buggy and can’t handle how fast I type even on a ‘desktop replacement’ laptop.
For longer projects where I'll be reducing daily notes to a report, I'll use an org-mode file partitioned by day
After transitioning to a remote role and writing code for a living all my notes are now in emacs org-mode.
First line becomes the title. Full text search finds the notes I'm interested in later.
