"They had no concept of a duty of care to their users."

Software that deletes user data by default will lose user trust.

Computer scientist David Chisnall detailed an incident where the NeoVim software fork deleted his persistent undo files, erasing years of work history. Chisnall reported that when he tried NeoVim, it did not recognize or upgrade Vim's undo file format. Instead, NeoVim deleted the existing Vim undo file and created its own, rendering the old undo history inaccessible. When Chisnall raised an issue, he was informed that the persistent undo format was unstable and not guaranteed to be preserved, leading him to conclude that NeoVim's developers lacked a "duty of care" to user data. This event prompted Chisnall to stop using NeoVim and highlighted the importance of data preservation, referencing Jef Raskin's First Law of interface design, which states that a computer shall not harm a user's data or allow it to be harmed through inaction.

The incident with NeoVim's handling of persistent undo files highlights a critical tension between software development velocity and user data integrity. While forks often aim to improve existing software, NeoVim's approach of deleting and replacing user data formats without clear migration or warnings indicates a potential disregard for user investment. This behavior directly contradicts foundational principles of humane interface design, specifically the mandate to protect user data.

This event underscores the vulnerability of user data when software ecosystems evolve rapidly without robust backward compatibility or explicit user consent for data alteration. The expectation of "persistent undo" implies a guarantee of data preservation, and its violation by NeoVim demonstrates a significant failure in maintaining that trust. Developers in such spaces must prioritize safeguarding user work, as demonstrated by Vim's long-standing preservation of undo history across versions and reboots.