When I'm on a Unix or Linux system, I prefer to use the vi editor, though I also sometimes use the pico editor as well. I also much prefer the Vi IMproved (VIM) editor, which is a vi clone, to Notepad on windows systems. I've lost information I was entering in Notepad countless times on Windows systems when the system crashed or locked up. With Vim, I have a much better chance of recovering my data. Notepad also lacks the robust search and replace features of Vim, which allows you to use "regular expressions" for manipulating text. However, for someone used to only working in a Windows GUI, learning to use the capabilities of Vim will probably take a fair amount of time and would likely be difficult. But if you use Vi on a Unix or Linux system, it certainly is a much more powerful editor than Notepad when you have to use a Windows system.
I've started creating my own Vi tips to help me remember commands that I may not use frequently, but am likely to need again.
