December 20, 2025
Holy wars in Insert mode
I wrote a code editor in C and now I'm a changed man
Dev drops a 'holy' code editor, sparks praise, confusion, and cringe
TLDR: A developer released a simple C-made code editor with heavy religious branding and shout-outs to TempleOS creator Terry Davis. Comments split between amused jokes and discomfort, debating whether quirky minimalism is cool or creepy—and proving that aesthetics can spark bigger fights than features.
The dev behind “light ’ HolyCode” drops a C-made text tool with church-pew vibes: “Praise God,” “RIP Terry Davis,” and a promise of near-zero overhead. It’s simple-on-purpose: no fussy modes like the popular Vim editor—everything’s in insert —plus plug‑ins that redraw text and Ctrl shortcuts to add or delete lines. He even claims it powered a ~10,000‑line compiler for Orthodox. For newcomers, Terry Davis was the creator of TempleOS, an eccentric, faith‑infused operating system celebrated in niche circles.
Commenters turned the altar into a roast. One cracked, “The Old Man and the C,” while another squinted, “Some sort of bird fancier?”—confusion about the Davis shout‑out was real. The spiciest verdict: “Even if it’s satire, it’s still creepy.” Fans of stripped‑down tools cheered the anti‑mode vibe, but critics saw cultish branding wrapped around a code toy.
Jokes flew fast: “Always INSERT, never repent,” “Ctrl+E for salvation,” and “line numbers as plug‑ins? amen.” The thread split into two pews: let-coders-be-weird vs keep-church-out-of-editors. Whether sincere or tongue‑in‑cheek, the project tapped a familiar online fault line—DIY brilliance colliding with uneasy aesthetics. And yes, everyone argued the most important feature: is it blessed if it doesn’t have Undo? Either way, the spectacle kept the comments praying hard.
Key Points
- •“light ’ HolyCode” is a code editor implemented in C with convenience prioritized over speed.
- •The editor operates without modes (insert-only), with basic arrow-key navigation and asynchronous console input.
- •Plugins modify DISPLAY_BUFFER and are called on every console input; examples include line numbers and text highlighting.
- •Shortcuts are triggered via Ctrl key combinations to manipulate lines and cursor position (add/delete/clear lines; jump to beginning/end).
- •The editor is used as the primary tool for the Orthodox compiler project (~10,000 LOC) hosted on GitHub, and is claimed to have minimal runtime overhead.