Show HN: McWig – A modal, Vim-like text editor written in Go

(github.com)

Comments

xlii 9 hours ago
When it comes to Go editors (IMO Go is perfect language for such editors) I also need to mention https://anvil-editor.net

It's ACME inspired, open source (although I don't think it's published on GitHub, one needs to download), and it's actually quite nice to work with due to its composability).

Takes some time to use, but it's really fun to use for stuff like ad-hoc documentation, completion etc. Oh, and it also has REST API for interaction with external tools so you can Go (pun intended) crazy on it.

paddy_m 18 hours ago
That's a lot of code for a toy project, impressive commitment!

How does the VIM family generally handle extensibility?

Do you have any unique takes there?

I use Emacs, and I get how emacs does it (smallish runtime for text display and lisp interpreter, everything else in lisp).

scuff3d 17 hours ago
I love bugs being a feature lol.

Awesome project man. I'll have to spend some time exploring the code base when I have time.

imiric 9 hours ago
Looks great. Awesome job!

I know you haven't planned ahead, but have you thought about extensibility? One of the main benefit of Vim and Emacs is that the user can customize it exactly to fit their needs, and the large ecosystem that exists around that. I suppose it would be smart for any new editor nowadays to be able to leverage existing plugins from other ecosystems, rather than starting from scratch.

wyclif 6 hours ago
Just name it Wig. It's cleaner. <SeanParker.gif>
nickandbro 20 hours ago
Like the color schemes! I myself am working on an app called https://vimgolf.ai to make it easier to learn how to use vim. Might copy what you did with copying the color schemes from the helix code editor.
lsllc 21 hours ago
So interesting that you use diffs for undo/redo! Ingenious!
hit8run 10 hours ago
Love it! I'm a big fan of code terminal ui code editors. Currently for that purpose Helix is my daily driver. Will try out yours shortly and don't let anyone discourage you! Keep going. Adaption will follow.
tempfile 21 hours ago
Looks lovely. Where does it deviate from vim? Evidently it is modal. What features make it more effective than vim is?
90s_dev 12 June 2025
This is incredible! It looks beautiful, with a perfect type of minimalism, and supports modern features out of the box. Very good job! If I used terminal editors anymore, I would certainly use this!