Why Vim Is More Than Just An Editor – A Comprehensive Review

Throughout my time as a developer, I’ve used VSCode, Sublime, Notepad++, TextMate, and others. But shortcuts like cmd(+shift)+end and jumping with option+arrow-keys from word to word needed to be faster at some point.

I was hitting my limits. Everything I was doing I did decently fast, but I didn’t get any faster.

I’ve since learned that Vim is the only editor that you get faster using with time.

Vim is based solely on shortcuts. When I discovered that and played around a bit, I felt numb and a little stupid, having not learned the shortcuts (called Vim language) much earlier in my career.

I learned that there’s a grammar behind the editor. With it, you express what you want to do first, how many times, and then what you want it to apply.

Just as spoken language grammar has verbs, subjects, and objects, so does the Vim language. The grammar has different verbs to begin with. Copying (or yanking) in Vim with y, deleting with d, pasting with p, changing with c, and so on.

For example, the easiest shortcut is copying a line with yy. To copy three lines, you add a 3 in front, such as 3yy.

When you launch Vim, you are not typing what you click on your keyboard as you are not in the “insert” mode that you’re likely familiar with from other editors. Instead, the normal mode you are in lets you do the commands explained in the Vim language.

Vim is the only editor that optimizes editing text instead of writing from a blank page.

• Normal mode is for reading code and navigating quickly.
• Insert mode is for when you want to add some code or text.
• Visual mode is unique, the same as highlighting text with the mouse, but with Vim Motions.
• Command mode is the powerhouse, where you can type Linux commands and execute them within Vim.

One day, I saw a coworker work in Vim, and everything clicked. The Vim language and motions were the things I needed all along.

I have been using Vim for only eight months, and coding with Python for around six years. I’ve been using other code editors since my career started in 2003. Each editor I used had its strengths and its appeal. But I never experienced such efficiency gains as I have with Vim.

Before Vim, I only used the terminal if I had to. I googled everything, and today, I use the terminal with its helpful manuals whenever I can.

Sometimes I’m surprised by myself as well, and it’s super nerdy – but it’s so effective. I’ve become a much better developer since starting to get comfortable with Vim.

Vim changed not only my workflow but how I was able to edit at the speed of thought. Instead of thinking, “I want to edit that word”, my fingers jump to that word and change it with a few keystrokes.

Read my full article on Why Vim Is More than Just an Editor – Vim Language, Motions, and Modes Explained.

Origin: Why Vim Is More than Just an Editor – Vim Language, Motions, and Modes Explained
References: Neovim, Vim Motions, PDE (Personalized Development Environment), IDE
Created 2023-11-04