Vim - what's so special about this text editor?

I've heard about Vi and Vim a few hundred times since I've started my exploration of the Linux world. Up until today, I thought the only real reason people like using Vim is because of the ease of use when programming and features that apparently allow technical text editing at a different level. At this point I can't say I will ever understand what is so special about Vim, but I definitely found a use for it.

I have been looking for ways to safely store my passwords electronically. I have moved away from the basic text file with all the info for a while, but I do miss having that kind of accessibility. Well, I found out Vim may offer an interesting option for me, which is to read and edit encrypted text files. So I may be able to go back to my simple text password storage, and still be safe. If you are interested in this topic here is some more info for you:

Downloading Vim is pretty simple, especially if you are using ubuntu (or any other ?buntu). Vim is easily found in the Ubuntu Software Centre, you can get it through Synaptic Package Manager as well. As I'm not 100% familiar with Vim yet, I can't explain what the add-ons do yet. Getting Vim via the terminal is also pretty easy, and that's how I got it for my laptop:

$ sudo apt-get install vim

This however will only get you the terminal version of Vim, which is a bit tricky to get started with. There are some useful tutorials out there for anyone interested in how to work with Vim on a terminal. It certainly seems full featured, but the learning curve is there for new users. Alternatively there is also a GNOME GUI version of Vim that may interest you more (this is called gvim in Ubuntu). To install such application you may use the terminal by typing:

$ sudo apt-get install vim-gnome

The  interesting use I have been talking about for Vim, is the ability to encrypt files using Vim very easily. Just to get you started on how to work with Vim, you can use this URL to help you getting a grasp of the basics.

Once you know how to create, open and save a file, as well as how to insert text you can use the following command in the terminal to create an encrypted file, which will require a password to be opened. Very handy! If this file does end up in the wrong hands somehow, it can be opened with any text editor, but it will simply look like gibberish.

$ vim -x filename.txt

Once you create your file you will be prompted for a password, just make sure you don't forget this password of course. I'm not sure how you go about creating this encrypted file using the GUI version of Vim (gvim), however once you create this file using the terminal version of Vim, you can open and edit the file via the GUI Vim.