Vim is a text editor that is already well known to the Linux users. Vim is considered a safe text editor as it uses modes – this is also why it is called a modal editor. You can launch Vim in the read-only mode so that you can only read the files and cannot make any changes to them whether intentionally or by accident. If you want to edit a text file then you can switch to the edit mode that allows you to change the files – insert new text or replace the existing text.
When installed on a Windows PC, it creates many shortcuts to Vim – one of them launches Vim in read-only mode, another one launches Vim in the read-write mode and the third one is for console version of the Vim editor. No matter which shortcut you use to launch Vim, you can change the modes based on your needs.
In the normal mode Vim can do anything just like any other editor, but when you switch to a different mode it can do something extra. For example, in the insert mode, it adds text at the cursor point. In the replace mode, it replaces the characters with the new characters as you type. In the visual mode, it can replace selected blocks of text – the lines are replaced with the new lines and paragraphs are replaced with new paragraphs.
Using Vim is a matter of experience. As a beginner coming from regular text editors like Notepad++, you will find it very confusing but as you learn various new features of Vim, you may find it very very convenient. It can work with many compilers, and supports syntax highlighting for tons of programming languages. It is a great editor for coders and developers.
You can download Vim Editor from https://www.vim.org/.