"What is Vim?" Vim ("Vi IMproved") is a "vi clone", ie a program similar to the text editor "vi". Vim works in textmode in every terminal, but it also has a graphic user interface, ie menus and support for the mouse. Copyright: The copyright is in the hands of the main author and maintainer, Bram Moolenaar . COPYING Vim is Charityware. You can use and copy it as much as you like, but you are encouraged to make a donation to orphans in Uganda. Please read the file "runtime/doc/uganda.txt" for details (do ":help uganda" inside Vim). Summary of the license: There are no restrictions on using or distributing an unmodified copy of Vim. Parts of Vim may also be distributed, but the license text must always be included. For modified versions a few restrictions apply. The license is GPL compatible, you may compile Vim with GPL libraries and distribute it.