Vim: Why $ for end of line?

Question

I'm new to Vim and am curious as to why $ would be used to go to the end of the line. So, for example, 0 taking me to the beginning makes at least some sort of sense (first number on keyboard goes to first letter of line---understandable).

Is there any logic behind $ or is it just totally arbitrary?

I was thinking $tart, until I remember it took me to the end!

Thanks!

Answer 1

At some point it was arbitrary, but for decades $ has been the symbol to indicate the end of a string in a regular expression. vim is honoring historical precedent and making the keystroke very intuitive to people familiar with regular expression syntax.

Answer 2

Dollar represents the end of line as it is used in Regex also. I think its arbitrary.

You can also use A to move to the end of the line and switch to editing mode

Answer 3

if you know some regular expression, you would know that in regex, $ means the the end of line. I guess, vi/vim took that idea.