#Emacs vs vim how to
#Emacs vs vim code

#Emacs vs vim code

Combining VS Code and Vim commands allows for very fluid editing. This allows usage of some of my favorite VS Code commands, such as command + p to search files by name or command + d for multiple cursor select. I achieve the best developer quality of life when I combine my Vim usage with a modern code editor. However, given Vim’s widespread adoption, that may not be the most efficient usage of Vim for you. From there, you may be tempted to open a file with vim file_name and be on your way. One of the best introductions to Vim is to open a terminal and type vimtutor. You can use it almost anywhere (there is even a Vim Chrome extension). Because of Vim’s widespread adoption, learning Vim today has an even higher payoff. For example, I can natively use Vim in Joplin and VS Code via an extension, and in web-based code editors such as on LeetCode. Furthermore, because Vim has stood the test of time, it is now widely available as an add-on in many applications. While sophisticated editors like Visual Studio Code (VS Code) have come a long way, there’s still no great replacement for Vim. Vim is still the most efficient way to edit text.Īnother reason to come back to Vim, even in 2023, is that it’s still one of the most efficient available options to edit text. With this method of learning Vim, even if ( or when!) your keyboard layout changes, you will remain proficient in Vim. Or remember cw as change word, instead of a finger pattern or sequence of keystrokes. You do this by thinking of j as pointing down, to remember that it moves the cursor down one space.

Instead of using rote memorization, you can obtain a deeper Vim understanding by learning the Vim vernacular. Therefore, when the underlying key locations changed (i.e., j is now pressed by the middle finger on my left hand, while it was previously pressed by the index finger on my right), I completely forgot the Vim command syntax and vocabulary. The main reason I forgot Vim so quickly was the overreliance on rote memorization of different keys, and how that affected the text I was editing. Until just recently… Rely on the vernacular, not muscle memory. Enjoying the newfound freedom provided by Programmer Dvorak, I switched to GUI-based editors and never looked back.

#Emacs vs vim how to

By the time classes began again in the fall, I had completely forgotten how to use Vim. I spent that entire summer learning to touch type with my new keyboard layout. However, during the summer of my sophomore year, I switched keyboard layouts from Qwerty to the Programmer Dvorak layout. That class significantly boosted my programming skills, and I believe this was in no small part due to my learning Vim.

Programming had never before been more enjoyable.

It just felt right.ĭuring that course, I wrote all my C programs at the command line with Vim using PuTTY to SSH into my school lab machine. After briefly tinkering with both editors, I quickly realized I had a strong affinity for Vim. The instructor recommended we try Emacs or Vim as two solid command-line text editor options. My first experience learning Vim was during my sophomore year of university in an introductory C programming course.