sensible.vim

Think of sensible.vim as one step above 'nocompatible' mode: a universal set of defaults that (hopefully) everyone can agree on.

• If you're new to Vim, you can install this as a starting point, rather than copying some random vimrc you found.
• If you're pair programming and you can't agree on whose vimrc to use, this can be your neutral territory.
• If you're administrating a server with an account that's not exclusively yours, you can scp this up to make things a bit more tolerable.
• If you're troubleshooting a plugin and need to rule out interference from your vimrc, having this installed will ensure you still have some basic amenities.

Installation

If you don't have a preferred installation method, I recommend installing pathogen.vim, and then simply copy and paste:

cd ~/.vim/bundle
git clone git://github.com/tpope/vim-sensible.git

Features

See the source for the authoritative list of features. (Don't worry, it's mostly :set calls.) Here's a taste:

• 'backspace': Backspace through anything in insert mode.
• 'incsearch': Start searching before pressing enter.
• 'listchars': Show trailing whitespace.
• 'scrolloff': Always show at least one line above/below the cursor.
• 'directory': Dump swap files under ~/.cache/vim/swap (only if that directory already exists). Also 'backupdir' and 'undodir'. Try mkdir -p ~/.cache/vim/{swap,backup,undo}.
• nmap Y y$: Make Y behaves like C and D.
• runtime! macros/matchit.vim: Load the version of matchit.vim that ships with Vim.

Contributing

I want this to be a plugin nobody objects to installing. Let me know if you have any objections to anything. There are a handful of settings I figured might be controversial, but I included anyways, just to settle the question once and for all. It won't take much persuasion for me to remove them. Everything else is negotiable.

Feel free to ask a question if you're not sure why I've set something, as I haven't put much effort into documenting that.

I'm a stickler for commit messages, so if you send me a pull request with so much as superfluous period in the subject line, I will close it without so much as a second thought, and save my precious attention for someone who can actually follow directions.

Self-Promotion

Like sensible.vim? Follow the repository on GitHub. And if you're feeling especially charitable, follow tpope on Twitter and GitHub.

This pairs great with sleuth.vim.

License

Copyright © Tim Pope. Distributed under the same terms as Vim itself. See :help license.