Automic VaultAutomic Vault

brew

Install vile with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts

Vi Like Emacs Editor. Version 9.8zb via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install vile.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install vile

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install vile

MacPorts ports tree · editors/vile/Portfile · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Vi Like Emacs Editor

Commands and aliases

  • vile
  • vile-libdir-path
  • vile-pager
  • vile-to-html

history

Project history and usage

vile, short for Vi Like Emacs, is a text editor that keeps much of vi's finger feel while adding Emacs-like multiple buffers, multiple windows, rebinding, modes, and broader extension machinery. It is a classic member of the vi-clone/editor-wars era rather than a modern greenfield editor.

Project history

vile began with Paul Fox, who built it from an early public-domain version of MicroEmacs. Thomas E. Dickey's FAQ says he started working on vile in late 1992 after using vi for years and needing better multi-file editing. Kevin Buettner joined early in 1994, working on the X Windows driver and later Perl integration, and Rick Sladkey arrived in 1995 with Windows and DJGPP work.

The project was already public in the early 1990s: Paul Fox's alt.sources posting of June 7, 1991 was version three, and the FAQ notes that vile supported multiple windows and multiple buffers from the start. That made it historically notable among vi-like editors because vi itself had only limited buffer behavior, while later vi clones such as nvi, Vim, and Elvis were still adding split-window features in the mid-1990s.

Maintenance later centered on Thomas Dickey's Invisible Island site, which provides the main project page, FAQ, help, change log, archives, and related resources. The change log marks vile 9.8 as released on August 8, 2010, with continued lettered maintenance releases after that in downstream package systems and snapshots.

Adoption history

vile's adoption is mostly historical and specialist: it has appeared in Unix editor surveys, package repositories, and vi-learning literature. Wikipedia-style summaries and O'Reilly-era references note that vile 8.0 appeared in Learning the vi Editor and vile 9.6 appeared in Learning the vi and Vim Editors, which helped document it for users comparing vi-family editors.

How it is used

vile is used by people who want vi commands and muscle memory but also want features traditionally associated with Emacs-like editors: multiple buffers and windows, key rebinding, modes, extensive help, syntax filters, X11 and Windows variants, and scripting or integration hooks. It is usually chosen deliberately by vi-family enthusiasts rather than encountered as a default system editor.

Why package nerds care

For package history, vile is significant because it preserves an alternate branch of vi-clone evolution. Its lineage runs through MicroEmacs, early 1990s Usenet source distribution, X11 and Windows ports, Perl hooks, and long maintenance by Thomas Dickey, making it more of a living historical artifact than a mainstream editor contender.

Timeline

  • 1991-06-07: Paul Fox posts vile version three to alt.sources, according to the project FAQ.
  • Late 1992: Thomas Dickey begins working on vile.
  • 1994: Kevin Buettner joins and changes the X Windows driver, later implementing the Perl interface.
  • 1995: Rick Sladkey contributes Windows and DJGPP work.
  • 2010-08-08: vile 9.8 is released, with work including UTF-8 improvements and generated documentation.

Related projects

  • vile is related to MicroEmacs through its code ancestry and to vi clones such as nvi, Vim, and Elvis through shared 1990s discussions about multiple buffers and windows. Its graphical and platform variants are commonly referred to as xvile for X11 and winvile for Windows.

security posture

No protected-tool coverage found yet

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for vile. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
  • Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix
./.vilerc~/.vilerc

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
vilecliglobal executable
vile-libdir-pathcliglobal executable
vile-pagercliglobal executable
vile-to-htmlcliglobal executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-25
manager version9.8zb
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

  • infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
  • infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://invisible-island.net/vile/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:vile
Version9.8zb
Package managerHomebrew
Package manager pagehttps://formulae.brew.sh/formula/vile
Homepagehttps://invisible-island.net/vile/
Upstream docshttps://invisible-island.net/vile/vile-hlp.html
LicenseGPL-2.0-or-later
Source archivehttps://invisible-island.net/archives/vile/current/vile-9.8zb.tgz
Uses from macOSlibxcrypt, ncurses, perl
Bottleavailable (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-installnot defined
Servicenone declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source DatabaseHomebrew formula API
Taphomebrew/core
Full Namevile
Version Scheme0
Revision0
Bottle Stable Root URLhttps://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecatedno
Disabledno
Keg Onlyno
URL Keys
  • stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

vile 9.8za-1

VI Like Emacs - vi work-alike

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install vile
  • Section: editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: vile from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

vile-common 9.8za-1

VI Like Emacs - support files for vile/xvile

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install vile-common
  • Section: editors
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: vile
  • 1 dependencies
  • 3 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: vile-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

vile-filters 9.8za-1

VI Like Emacs - highlighting filters for vile/xvile

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install vile-filters
  • Section: editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 3 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: vile-filters from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Debian apt95%

xvile 9.8za-1

VI Like Emacs - vi work-alike (X11)

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install xvile
  • Section: editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 8 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 2 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Debian stable package indexes · deb.debian.org · Debian stable package indexes: xvile from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz
Ubuntu apt95%

vile 9.8z-1build2

VI Like Emacs - vi work-alike

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install vile
  • Section: universe/editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • 5 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: vile from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

vile-common 9.8z-1build2

VI Like Emacs - support files for vile/xvile

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install vile-common
  • Section: universe/editors
  • Architecture: all
  • Source Package: vile
  • 1 dependencies
  • 3 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: vile-common from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

vile-filters 9.8z-1build2

VI Like Emacs - highlighting filters for vile/xvile

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install vile-filters
  • Section: universe/editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 3 dependencies
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: vile-filters from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
Ubuntu apt95%

xvile 9.8z-1build2

VI Like Emacs - vi work-alike (X11)

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apt install xvile
  • Section: universe/editors
  • Architecture: amd64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 8 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • 2 optional deps
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes · archive.ubuntu.com · Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: xvile from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz
apk95%

vile 9.8z_p2-r0

Vi Like Emacs, for Terminal (vile)

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apk add vile
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vile from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

vile-common 9.8z_p2-r0

Vi Like Emacs, common files for vile and xvile

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apk add vile-common
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vile-common from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

vile-doc 9.8z_p2-r0

Vi Like Emacs (documentation)

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apk add vile-doc
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: vile-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
apk95%

xvile 9.8z_p2-r0

Vi Like Emacs, for GUI (xvile)

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo apk add xvile
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 1 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: xvile from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
dnf95%

vile 9.8zb-8.fc44

VI Like Emacs

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo dnf install vile
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 6 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: vile from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

vile-common 9.8zb-8.fc44

The common files needed by any version of the vile editor

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo dnf install vile-common
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 3 dependencies
  • 1 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: vile-common from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
dnf95%

xvile 9.8zb-8.fc44

VI Like Emacs

https://invisible-island.net/vile/

sudo dnf install xvile
  • License: GPL-2.0-only
  • Category: Unspecified
  • Architecture: x86_64
  • Source Package: vile
  • 12 dependencies
  • 2 provides
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: xvile from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst
MacPorts95%

vile

sudo port install vile
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Vile
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: editors/vile/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

Same workflow

  • adShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, vi.
  • joveShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emacs-like, productivity, text-editor.
  • mgShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, emacs-like, productivity, text-editor.
  • neatviShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, vi.
  • openviShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, vi.
  • vimShares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-editor, vi.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Nucleus package database
  • av.db category and tag curation
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated configuration and credential file locations
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • package relationship graph
  • package version freshness
  • package-page enrichment