First there was a Navigator, then there was an Explorer. Later it was time for a Konqueror. Now it's time for an Imperator, the VIMperator :)

WARNING: From version 0.5.3 upwards we are vim-compatible and store preferences with :set only for the current session. If you want some of the options to be persistent, put them in your ~/.vimperatorrc or use the new :mkvimperatorrc command.

Vimperator is part of the liberator project which tries to make even more programs accessible as vim:

• muttator: Make Thunderbird behave like Vim

Introduction

Vimperator is a free browser add-on for Firefox, which makes it look and behave like the Vim text editor. It has similar key bindings, and you could call it a modal web browser, as key bindings differ according to which mode you are in.

Warning: To provide the most authentic Vim experience, the Firefox menubar and toolbar were hidden.
If you really need them, type: :set guioptions+=mT to get them back.
If you don't like Vimperator at all, you can uninstall it by typing :addons and remove/disable it.
If you like it, but can't remember the shortcuts, press F1 or :help to get this help window back.

Vimperator was written by Martin Stubenschrott. If you appreciate my work on Vimperator and want to encourage me working on it more, you can either send me greetings, patches or make a donation:

Of course as a believer in free open source software, only make a donation if you really like Vimperator and the money doesn't hurt - otherwise just use it, recommend it and like it :)

Downloads

Next release will be Vimperator 1.0, which will probably be released at the time when Firefox3 hits the streets. Expect lots of changes.

• Version 0.5.3 (Released: 2007-12-21, probably last Firefox2-based release)

NOTE: mozdev.org mirrors take up to 12 hours until new releases are available

Features

• Vim-like keybindings (h,j,k,l,gg,G,0,$,ZZ,<C-f>,etc.)
• Ex-commands (:quit, :open www.foo.com, ...)
• Tab completion available for all commands with support for 'longest' matching when set in 'wildmode'
• Hit-a-hint like navigation of links (start with 'f' to follow a link)
• Advanced completion of bookmark and history URLs (searching also in title, not only URL)
• Vim-like statusline with a wget-like progress bar
• Minimal GUI (easily hide useless menubar and toolbar with :set guioptions=)
• Ability to :source javascript files, and to use a ~/.vimperatorrc file with syntax highlighting if you install vimperator.vim
• Easy quick searches (:open foo will search foo in google, :open ebay terminator will search for terminator on ebay) with support for Firefox keyword bookmarks and search engines
• Count supported for many commands (3<C-o> will go back 3 pages)
• Beep on errors
• Marks support (ma to set mark 'a' on a webpage, 'a to go there)
• QuickMarks support (quickly go to previously marked web pages with go{a-zA-Z0-9})
• :map support (and feedkeys() for script writers)
• :time support for profiling
• Move the text cursor and select text with vim keys and a visual mode. (for now only for the browser, no text fields)
• A comprehensive help file, explaining all commands, mappings and settings.

Contact

Please send comments/bug reports/patches to the mailing list, where I will properly answer any questions. You can also join the #vimperator IRC channel on irc.freenode.net or check the Wiki for frequently asked questions. Make sure, you have read the TODO file first, as I am aware of many things which can be improved when I find time for it or get patches.