Bram Moolenaar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bram Moolenaar
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Moolenaar in 2007
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| Born | 1961 Lisse, Netherlands
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| Died | 3 August 2023 (aged 61–62) |
| Known for | Vim, ICCF Holland |
| Awards | NLUUG Awards |
Bram Moolenaar (1961 – 3 August 2023) was a smart Dutch computer engineer and a kind activist. He was best known for creating and taking care of Vim, which is a very popular program used for writing and editing text.
Besides his work on Vim, Bram also strongly supported ICCF Holland. This is a group that helps people with AIDS in Uganda. He used Vim's popularity to encourage people to donate money to this important cause. From 2006 to 2021, Bram worked at Google in Zürich, where he could spend some of his time working on Vim.
Contents
About Bram Moolenaar
His Early Life and Education
Bram Moolenaar was born in 1961. In 1985, he finished his studies at the Delft University of Technology. He earned a degree in electrical engineering.
Creating Vim
In 1988, Bram bought a computer called an Amiga. He liked using a text editor called vi, but it wasn't available for the Amiga yet. So, he looked at other similar programs. He found one called Stevie and decided to make it better.
Bram added many new features to Stevie, like being able to undo multiple changes. He wanted his program to be as good as vi, or even better! The first version of his improved program was called "Vi IMitation" and came out in 1988. Later, in 1992, with version 1.22, he renamed it to "Vi IMproved."
Vim is special because it's open-source. This means its code is free for anyone to see and improve. It's also charityware, which means users are encouraged to donate to ICCF Holland if they like the program. Many other programs have used this idea since Vim started. Vim has won awards and is known as one of the most popular text editors in the world.
Other Cool Projects
Bram Moolenaar also created other software tools. One was called A-A-P, which helps build software programs. He also made a programming language called Zimbu, which focuses on making computer code easy to read.
Bram was a member of a Dutch group for Unix users called NLUUG. They gave him an award for creating Vim and for all his contributions to open-source software.
Helping Others Around the World
Bram was a big supporter of ICCF Holland. This is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that helps people affected by AIDS in Kibaale, Uganda. In 1994, he even volunteered there himself, working on water and sanitation projects. He visited Uganda many times after that.
In 1995, he made Vim charityware to help raise money for ICCF Holland. This meant that when people used Vim, they were encouraged to donate. This helped raise thousands of dollars for the charity, making a real difference in people's lives.
His Passing
Bram Moolenaar passed away on August 3, 2023. His family shared the sad news a few days later.
See also
In Spanish: Bram Moolenaar para niños
