Why I don't use VIM...

In this video, I discuss both my love for the idea of VIM, but it's lack of OS level portability prevents me from committing to it as my primary form of navigation.

Mentioned in this video:

📶 Next Steps

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🎵 Artist Attribution
"Remember"
Music by KaizanBlu

[BrandonKBoswell]

For those following along at home, I now use NeoVIM.

[SebastiaanAndeweg]

Vim user here! To me, moving around with hjkl is just the beginning. The real Vim payoff, to me, starts when using text objects. There is a wonderful talk by Chris Toomey on here called Mastering the Vim language, which probably does a better job of explaining it than I can here in a Youtube comment. But it is this language, of combining actions (d for delete, y for yank, c for change) with motions (w for the word, i' for inside singlequotes) that makes all the difference to me. There is stuff after that too, but that's just rabbit-hole.

And yea, it's sad that I don't have it here on this Youtube comment box, but it's not like it brakes my brain... it knows not to do the fancy stuff here and resort to alt+arrows for moving around. But the things you shared sound like a nice workflow too!

[joshuarose]

Vi user here, just thought I'd mention that you may want to fix your description. Specifically, where you state "... it's lack of OS level portability prevents me from ...". Vim is natively installed on almost all distributions of Linux and is cross-compatible with almost all operating systems. Also, I'd love to see your source for "vim being paid in the future". GNU/Linux will add micro transactions and spyware before Vim becomes pay-to-use software.

[dmitrykim]

command line, far manager and vim is a cool feature of an oldschool kung-fu developer, but is not necessary

[coreykuehl]

You could check out the Dygma Raise or Dygma Defy. Really interesting ergonomic keyboard that's heavily customizable. It will solve the problems you mentioned while being healthier for you.

[michaelslattery]

For me, this premise is false: "every app you use has to support Vim motions to make it all worthwhile". I can switch contexts without issue.

You might conciser a mech keyboard that can be remapped. You could add a vim layer and more easily work around your issues.

I don't use an office app, very often. Instead I use Vim to write in markdown or LaTeX. I use Pandoc to convert to pdf/docx for distribution.

You'd be surprised how many apps have vim keybindings, such as chat apps, email clients, file browsers, pdf viewers, image viewers, music players, etc. I tend to use them if they have the features I need.

I use Linux and i3. i3 is a tiling window manager, that's usable without a mouse. I map it's key bindings closely to Vim's (although its defaults already are close).

"if you are a Vim user ... what is that key feature that makes it all worth it"

With the lightspeed plugin (or easymotion), I can go anywhere on the screen in 3 or 4 keystrokes. That along with other keybindings and plugins, I can go precisely anywhere I want (file, line, column) super fast.

[chrispennington]

Very interesting! I’m skeptical my brain would get used to it, but on your testimony, I’m going to give it a try :)

[dlvhdr]

Sounds like an interesting setup! I wish my company would allow me to use Karabiner on my mac… I’m a programmer so there’s no replacement for vim though

[farzadmf]

Sorry if you already have (didn't search 😛), but it would be really nice if you made videos setting up all these cool keyboard tricks you do (I mean, similar to a tutorial, not just like "this is the link to my config, go figure it out" 😆)

[CalmHive]

You think Vim is only useful for basic text navigation? Far from it. Vim is an incredibly versatile and powerful editor once you realize its full potential.

Let's start with Vim's unmatched text manipulation capabilities. You can transform text in ways no other editor allows, like swapping words, sorting lines, or reformatting paragraphs with just a few keystrokes. Vim's regex engine gives you surgical precision when manipulating text.

Or what about Vim's macros? You can record complex sequences of edits and replay them instantly. This automates repetitive tasks and saves enormous amounts of time.

Vim also has phenomenal code comprehension features. You can instantly navigate functions and variables in your codebase with ctags. Folding lets you collapse and focus on specific sections of code. Vim gives you a birds-eye view of your code.

And I've barely scratched the surface. Vim has a clipboards system that expands pasting beyond a single clipboard. It has a package system for extending functionality. Vim has an unmatched plugin ecosystem too - plugins for everything from auto-completion to Git integration exist.

You need to spend more time learning Vim's capabilities. It may seem obtuse at first, but once Vim clicks you'll feel like you have text editing superpowers. Don't underestimate this incredible editor. Give it a real chance before dismissing it. Once you master Vim, you'll never want to go back.

[GiovanniCKC]

neovim can be embedded everywhere....like literally

[nihancj]

"intnds to be paid in the future"?. What? I guess you don't know what free software means.