[lelanthran]

> i use neovim and screen as defaults and find them quite useful, but never found tmux useful

Thank heavens there's someone else - I thought I was the only one[1].

[1] I use screen, and then use vim with multiple splits and tabs, with each buffer being a `:terminal`. Works very for me, because I get all the terminals I want, splitted and tabbed in any fashion I want, using my existing vim muscle memory to switch between them, minimise, maximise, etc. Also, takes about 1s to save the session if I ever feel the need to exit vim (I never do, though).

[skydhash]

I started with screen and then move to tmux (don't really remember why). I've never been a fan of :terminal. I start and quit Vim multiple times a day (even for the same project) and opening new tmux pane or tab is the reflex for me. I rarely use tabs in vim. My philosophy is that buffers are like sheets of paper on my desk. I rearrange them based on what I want to do. Moving to another tab is like moving to another desk. If I need the terminal for a quick command, I do Ctrl-Z.

[Izkata]

I've only used tiling window managers for over a decade, so for me screen is only for detaching, vim usually only one file at a time, and the window manager lets me tile/stack those and the web browser, zoom, etc.

[lelanthran]

> vim usually only one file at a time,

The big advantage of using a single Vim instance for everything is having all my registers shared.

I can copy something into register 'a' from file One.txt, and then paste 'a' into file Twenty.txt. Same with recording macros, command history, etc.

If any of those buffers are terminals, then I can use them just like a read-only file: copy from them into registers, run macros within them, etc.

The advantage, to me, of using Vim over Tmux, is that that I don't need to remember an additional set of key chords for moving between splits and tabs, and for resizing splits, etc. Using tmux requires additional commands and key chords to memorise.

I used to love tmux before vim had `:terminal`, but since Vim got `:terminal` there's nothing I get from tmux that I don't get in a simpler and easier way from Vim.

[Izkata]

If I ever need to copy between instances, I use the + register for the system clipboard. There is only one but generally it's good enough for me.

If I'm expecting a lot of copying between files, that's when I will break my own rule and temporarily use a split window inside vim.