How to change Vim from “-xterm_clipboard” to “+xterm_clipboard” in Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks?

Question

I am new to vim, and I am trying to paste content from other applications. I am running the native vim that comes with the OS X 10.9 Mavericks.

When I run "vim --version" this is the output

Normal version without GUI.  Features included (+) or not (-):
-arabic +autocmd -balloon_eval -browse +builtin_terms +byte_offset +cindent 
-clientserver -clipboard +cmdline_compl +cmdline_hist +cmdline_info +comments 
-conceal +cryptv +cscope +cursorbind +cursorshape +dialog_con +diff +digraphs 
-dnd -ebcdic -emacs_tags +eval +ex_extra +extra_search -farsi +file_in_path 
+find_in_path +float +folding -footer +fork() -gettext -hangul_input +iconv 
+insert_expand +jumplist -keymap -langmap +libcall +linebreak +lispindent 
+listcmds +localmap -lua +menu +mksession +modify_fname +mouse -mouseshape 
-mouse_dec -mouse_gpm -mouse_jsbterm -mouse_netterm -mouse_sysmouse 
+mouse_xterm +multi_byte +multi_lang -mzscheme +netbeans_intg -osfiletype 
+path_extra -perl +persistent_undo +postscript +printer -profile +python/dyn 
-python3 +quickfix +reltime -rightleft +ruby/dyn +scrollbind +signs 
+smartindent -sniff +startuptime +statusline -sun_workshop +syntax +tag_binary 
+tag_old_static -tag_any_white -tcl +terminfo +termresponse +textobjects +title
 -toolbar +user_commands +vertsplit +virtualedit +visual +visualextra +viminfo 
+vreplace +wildignore +wildmenu +windows +writebackup -X11 -xfontset -xim -xsmp
 -xterm_clipboard -xterm_save 
   system vimrc file: "$VIM/vimrc"
     user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
      user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
  fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/share/vim"

I understand I need to change "-xterm_clipboard" to "+xterm_clipboard" to be able to paste the content form other sources.

Thank you

Answer 1

Install your own Vim. If you haven't already, setup Homebrew , then:

brew install macvim --override-system-vim

Bonus is that MacVim can run as a native application, ie outside the terminal, like gVim on other platforms. It is also compiled with the "huge" featureset, so you have pretty much everything in it that you'd need, unlike the system Vim.

EDIT: Apparently the option name changed; the new syntax should be

brew install macvim --with-override-system-vim

(See brew options macvim for more options.)