Introduction
vim is a highly configurable text editor built to make creating and changing any kind of text very efficient. It is included as vi with most UNIX systems and with Apple OS X. vim is famous for having a steep learning curve. But if you ask me, learning vim is not much different than learning touch typing. It all boils down to repetition, practice, and muscle memory.
You don’t have to learn vim to be a developer; however, learning how to use vim well will certainly make you a more productive developer. Besides, if you are a developer, sooner or later, you’ll have to use vim in your career at least at a bare minimum level. So the earlier you begin learning it, the better.
How Do I Learn vim?
Here are a few resources that can help you speed up your vim learning:
- Vim genius
- Open Vim
- Practical Vim: Edit Text at the Speed of Thought (this one is one of the best books I’ve read about
vim; and it, indeed, is practical) - Learning `vi` and `vim` Editors
However, the only way to learn `vim` is to actively use it. Luckily enough, almost any code editor has a vim emulation mode or a vim plugin that you can download and install.
Most IDEs Have avimEmulation Mode
When you learnvim, you can use the vim mode in your favorite IDE of your choice. Except for specific crazy macros, you could use it just like good oldvim—it’s not exactly the same thing, but for most practical purposes it’ll be “close enough.”
If you use the “vim mode” in your editor of choice, then using vim on the terminal will be second-nature to you.
Conclusion
When you master vim, you’ll see that it will have a positive impact on your development productivity.
Yes, vim is an editor that has one of the steepest learning curves; and it’s worth your time to learn it. There are even people who claim “vim learning curve is a myth”, so maybe it is not that hard after all 😉.
I hope you find the resources here useful in you vim learning journey.
Until next time… May the source be with you 🦄.
