title: Why Buffers Over Tabs
tags: vim buffers

* With many GUI apps, tabs are used for separate files. 
* With vim, tabs are used **for separate workspaces**. 
* Each open file has its own buffer. 
* Different tabs can show the same buffer.
* `set hidden` allows you to load a new file with `:e` without unsaved changes
* Importantly, **tabs are not file proxies like in most editors**.
    Having 100 open buffers is no problem for vim. But having
    100 tabs is unmanageable.
* Then use **windows** when you want to see the contents of two files simultaneously,
    or want to see two different parts of a large file simultaneously. Windows
    are not file proxies either.


## Buffer commands
```csv sep=|
`:ls`      | list buffers
`:bN`      | switch to buffer N
`:b abc`   | switch to buffer with abc in the name provided this is unique
`:bd N`    | close buffer N
`:bd abc`  | close buffer uniquely identified by abc
```

# Threads
* [stackoverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/26708822/why-do-vim-experts-prefer-buffers-over-tabs)
* [another stackoverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/26708822/why-do-vim-experts-prefer-buffers-over-tabs/26745051#26745051)
* [stackoverflow 3](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16082991/vim-switching-between-files-rapidly-using-vanilla-vim-no-plugins)