Editing Bram Moolenaar

{{Short description|Dutch computer programmer (1961–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Bram Moolenaar
| image              = Bram Moolenaar in 2007.jpg
| caption            = Moolenaar in 2007
| birth_date         = <!--{{birth date|1961|08|26|df=y}}{{cn|date=August 2023}}-->{{birth year|1961}}
| birth_place        = [[Lisse]], Netherlands
| death_date         = {{Death date and given age|2023|08|03|62|df=y}}
| death_place        = <!--[[Santa Cruz de Tenerife]], Spain{{cn|date=August 2023}}-->
| known_for          = {{cslist|[[Vim (text editor)|Vim]]|[[ICCF Holland]]}}
| awards             = [[NLUUG#NLUUG Awards|NLUUG Awards]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.moolenaar.net/}}
| signature          = Bram Moolenaar signature.png
}}

'''Bram Moolenaar''' ({{IPA|nl|brɑ ˈmoːlənaːr|lang}}; <!--{{cspan|26 August|date=August 2023}} Please add source for birthdate in the Early life and education section. Please do not add the date here without providing a reference. Thank you.-->1961 – 3 August 2023) was a Dutch software engineer and activist who was the creator, maintainer, and [[benevolent dictator for life]] of [[Vim (text editor)|Vim]],<ref name="RehmanPaul2003">{{cite book|last1=Rehman|first1=Rafeeq Ur|last2=Paul|first2=Christopher|title=The Linux development platform: configuring, using, and maintaining a complete programming environment|url=https://archive.org/details/ost-computer-science-0130091154|access-date=30 March 2011|year=2003|publisher=Prentice Hall PTR|isbn=978-0-13-009115-4|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ost-computer-science-0130091154/page/n59 37]–}}</ref> a [[Vi (text editor)|vi]]-derivative text editor. He advocated for [[ICCF Holland]], a non-governmental organization supporting [[HIV/AIDS in Uganda|AIDS victims in Uganda]], and used the popularity of Vim to encourage donations.

From July 2006 until September 2021, Moolenaar was employed by Google, working in the [[Zürich]] office on [[Google Calendar]].<ref name="TheRegisterObit">{{Cite web |url=https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/07/bram_moolenaar_obituary/ |title=RIP Bram Moolenaar: Coding world mourns Vim creator |date=7 August 2023 |last=Proven |first=Liam |work=[[The Register]] |access-date=7 August 2023 |archive-date=8 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230808023315/https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/07/bram_moolenaar_obituary/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He spent part of his time maintaining Vim.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Yahoo! Groups|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/vimannounce/conversations/topics/152|access-date=31 March 2018|website=groups.yahoo.com|language=en-US|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109015710/https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/vimannounce/conversations/topics/152|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Moolenaar was born in [[Lisse]], Netherlands, in 1961.<ref name="TheRegisterObit"/> In 1985, he graduated from the [[Delft University of Technology]] with a degree in [[electrical engineering]].<ref name="FreeSoftInfo">{{Cite web |url=https://www.free-soft.org/FSM/english/issue01/vim.html |title=Vim, an open-source text editor |date=15 January 2002 |last=Moolenaar |first=Bram |publisher=free-soft.org |access-date=5 August 2023 |archive-date=5 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805135500/https://www.free-soft.org/FSM/english/issue01/vim.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Vim==
{{Main|Vim (text editor)}}
[[File:Vim 9.0 splash screen.png|alt=The opening screen of Vim|thumb|The opening screen of Vim]]
In 1988, Moolenaar purchased an [[Amiga]] computer. Familiar with [[Vi (text editor)|vi]], which had not been ported to the Amiga at the time, he tested several clones of vi, including [[Stevie (text editor)|Stevie]]. Moolenaar took the source code of Stevie and improved upon it. Seeking to match vi, Moolenaar eventually added in additional features, such as undoing multiple levels.<ref name="FreeSoftInfo"/> The first version of "[[Vim (text editor)|Vi IMitation]]" was released in 1988 on a public domain disk set made by [[Fred Fish]]. Several users ported Vim onto other platforms, such as [[MS-DOS]] and [[Unix]]. In version 1.22 in 1992, Vi IMitation was renamed to "Vi IMproved".<ref name="FreeSoftInfo"/>{{Sfn|Moolenaar|2000|p=4}}

Vim is open-source and [[charityware]]; users are encouraged to donate to [[ICCF Holland]].<ref name="FreeSoftInfo"/> A number of other applications have been licensed this way since Vim's inception.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://charityware.info/|title=charityware . info {{!}} for developers and users who care|website=charityware.info|language=en|access-date=31 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428055416/http://charityware.info/|archive-date=28 April 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Vim has won several awards<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moolenaar.net/vim.html#awards |title=Vim |publisher=Moolenaar.net |access-date=10 February 2012 |archive-date=12 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112071256/http://www.moolenaar.net/vim.html#awards |url-status=live }}</ref> and has been referred to as one of the most popular text editors.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jacob Gube |url=http://sixrevisions.com/web-development/the-15-most-popular-text-editors-for-developers/ |title=The 15 Most Popular Text Editors for Developers |publisher=Sixrevisions.com |access-date=10 February 2012 |archive-date=18 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118110358/http://sixrevisions.com/web-development/the-15-most-popular-text-editors-for-developers/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://tuxarena.blogspot.com/2009/04/14-most-popular-text-editors-for-linux.html |title=14 Most Popular Text Editors for Linux &#124; TuxArena Blog |date=April 2009 |publisher=Tuxarena.blogspot.com |access-date=10 February 2012 |archive-date=13 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313050602/http://tuxarena.blogspot.com/2009/04/14-most-popular-text-editors-for-linux.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://lifehacker.com/385929/best-text-editors |title=Best Text Editors |publisher=Lifehacker.com |date=1 May 2008 |access-date=10 February 2012 |archive-date=8 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108083658/http://lifehacker.com/385929/best-text-editors |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Other ventures==
Other software tools that Moolenaar developed include a software [[build tool]] written in [[Python (programming language)|Python]], called A-A-P, which is similar to [[make (software)|make]], and a programming language called Zimbu which puts an emphasis on readability of programs.<ref name="TheRegisterObit"/>

Moolenaar was a member of the Dutch Unix user group, [[NLUUG]], which presented him with an award during its 25th anniversary, for his creation of Vim and his contributions to open-source software in general.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.moolenaar.net/#Award|title=NLUUG Award|date=2008|access-date=9 November 2011|archive-date=13 April 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110413100151/http://www.moolenaar.net/#Award|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Charity===
Moolenaar was an advocate of [[ICCF Holland]], a [[non-governmental organization]] based in [[Kibaale]], Uganda which he founded to support children whose parents have died of [[AIDS]]. In 1994, he volunteered as a water and sanitation engineer for the Kibaale Children's Centre; he made several return trips over the following twenty-five years. In 1995, he made Vim [[charityware]]. An estimated {{USD|2000}} was raised for ICCF Holland in 1997, followed by {{USD|4000}} a year later.<ref name="FreeSoftInfo"/> In 1999, donation income totaled approximately {{USD|7000}}.{{Sfn|Marshall|2002|p=103-104}} He last visited the Kibaale Community Centre in 2020 before the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref name="TheRegisterObit"/>

==Illness and death==
Moolenaar reported health problems in October 2022.<ref name="TheRegisterObit"/> On 5 August 2023, Moolenaar's family announced<ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/g/vim_announce/c/tWahca9zkt4|title=Message from the family of Bram Moolenaar|access-date=2024-02-13|archive-date=28 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228051721/https://groups.google.com/g/vim_announce/c/tWahca9zkt4|url-status=live}}</ref> in the Vim [[Google Group]] that Moolenaar had died two days prior, at the age of 62, because of a rapidly developing medical condition.<ref name="TheRegisterObit" /> His funeral was held in Lisse, Netherlands, on 16 August 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/08/bram-moolenaar-creator-of-the-beloved-vim-text-editor-has-passed-away/ |title=Rest in peace Bram Moolenaar, author of Vim and hero of many developers |date=8 August 2023 |last=Axon |first=Samuel |work=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=8 August 2023 |archive-date=22 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822031530/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/08/bram-moolenaar-creator-of-the-beloved-vim-text-editor-has-passed-away/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Vim will be continued by co-contributor Christian Brabandt.<ref name="TheRegisterObit" />

== Posthumous fame ==
Bram Moolenaar was posthumously awarded the 2024 European SFS Award at SFSCON 24, a free software meeting organised since 2004 by the [[Free Software Foundation Europe]] (FSFE) and the Linux User Group Bolzano-Bozen (LUGBZ).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vim developer Bram Moolenaar posthumously receives the European SFS Award|website=[[FSFE]]|date=2024-11-08|url=https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20241108-01.en.html|access-date=2024-11-09|archive-date=9 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109002940/https://fsfe.org/news/2024/news-20241108-01.en.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
*{{Cite web |url=https://moolenaar.net/vimstory.pdf |title=The continuing story of Vim |date=10 October 2000 |last=Moolenaar |first=Bram |publisher=moolenaar.net |access-date=5 August 2023}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Story |first1=Alan |date=2002 |title=Intellectual Property Rights, the Internet, and Copyright |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/89985.pdf |journal=Commission on Intellectual Property Rights |access-date=5 August 2023}}
** {{Harvc |last=Marshall |first=Wayne |c=Appendix 5: Algorithms in Africa |in=Story |year=2002}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.moolenaar.net/}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moolenaar, Bram}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Dutch computer programmers]]
[[Category:Free software programmers]]
[[Category:Google employees]]
[[Category:Vi]]
[[Category:Delft University of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:People from Lisse]]