Why Vim?

In a world where text editors and IDEs abound, using a terminal editor like VIM may seem an odd choice – even to some developers. Offerings like Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ, Eclipse, Atom, Sublime Text, and Notepad⁺⁺ build a strong case that terminal editors are antiques that should be retired to the trash bin of history. However, there is a compelling case that learning VIM is well worth the invested time and will pay back dividends over your career.

There are three compelling reasons to learn VIM thoroughly. VIM is:

1. Available nearly everywhere
2. A modal editor
3. Easily customizable

Available Nearly Everywhere

In enterprise computing, your company will not approve every IDE and text editor. If, for example, you move to a company that doesn’t allow Visual Studio, and you’ve spent hundreds of hours in that (powerful) IDE in a former position, the transition might be a little on the rocky side.

Even more important – the IDEs and text editors listed above are rarely available on servers (usually ~95% Linux with only the command line). So, if some configuration file needs fixing on a server (or a hotfix is done to the source code), using an IDE or GUI-based text editor simply isn’t possible. Fumbling around an unfamiliar text editor while screen-sharing during a critical incident is not a good time. Trust me.

VIM, however, is available basically everywhere. On Windows, its included in the ubiquitous GitBash program – used in nearly every enterprise computing scenario. It is also installed by default on almost every Linux distribution imaginable – even UNIX clones like AIX have vi – so any competent VIM user would be perfectly comfortable with vi. VIM is even available inside some containers – BusyBox, for example, contains vi. So, if you get comfortable (and good) in vim, you can use these skills nearly everywhere – not just on a particular system.

A Modal Editor

Unlike most IDEs and text editors, VIM is modal – it has two primary modes, and keys do different things in different modes. This is kind of like having super-powers – a simple gg takes you to the end of a document or ^ takes you to the start of a line, or 13yy copies (yanks) 13 lines downwards, starting with the one the cursor is on. Anyone familiar with both modes in VIM can jump all over a document, copy(yank)/paste text, insert text from other documents, modify multiple files at once in split windows, and much more. Without lifting their hands from the home row – using the mouse (or even arrow keys) is unnecessary.

This is both a blessing and a curse for vim – for beginners, the unfamiliarity of a modal editor makes the learning curve steep. Those who’ve spent time summiting that curve scoff at the inefficiency of grabbing a mouse to do everything. vim is beginner-friendly, offering the vimtutor program to get started. I recommend beginners go through vimtutor a few times to internalize VIM’s commands and flatten that learning curve.

At this point, I should confess that I’m a bit biased towards keyboard-only computing. Using keyboard shortcuts for nearly everything, whether in Windows or Linux, makes me significantly more productive. I encourage all users to start learning keyboard shortcuts – but try to stick to shortcuts available in a vanilla system (don’t become dependent on custom key bindings!).

Easily Customizable

Customization is a tricky subject. I do not suggest that people significantly customize their systems, but sometimes, a little light customization can be helpful. The argument against extreme customization (“making it your own”) is simple—in enterprise computing, you’ll touch hundreds, if not thousands, of systems. If you become dependent on unique customizations, this reduces your ability to jump to a new system quickly and be productive immediately.

With that in mind, VIM is easily customizable without being extreme. I would strongly advise only adding minor customizations that make you more productive, are very easily configured, and are close enough to how VIM typically works to be familiar without them.

To customize vim, create a .vimrc file in the user’s home directory. If you’re using GitBash, this is where the .exe file is stored. If you’re on any *nix flavour, the home directory is usually /home/<username> (depending on your setup of course). Below is an example of a straightforward .vimrc file that makes me more productive, is easy to retype (if pulling from a personal repo isn’t available), and I can quickly go without it if needed.

" Set numbers
set nu
set rnu

" Remap jj to Escape
inoremap jj <Esc>

" Turn on search highlighting
set hlsearch
set incsearch

" Scroll Distance
set scrolloff=3

This .vimrc file performs some light customizations of things I prefer – things like relative line numbering, remapping of jj to <Esc> (to save my poor pinky), and setting scrolling so that the screen moves before I get to the extreme bottom or top of a document. If I am confronted with vanilla VIM, I’m still comfortable. If, in the course of my work, I have to use a system constantly, I’ll take the 2 minutes needed to add my .vimrc and feel nice and cozy.

The Case for VIM

While many developers have strong opinions on what they like to use to write code, from a practical standpoint, getting good at vim makes a lot of sense. It’s my daily driver for Python, BASH, YAML, and Markdown. Because I’ve invested in learning the modal nature of vim, I am faster and more efficient than using a mouse in an IDE. Best of all, if I end up screen sharing while using VIM, I think about the changes being made, not about how to get into INSERT mode or jump to the following line. No more (or at least less) fumbling like a noob in front of my colleagues. There will always be some fumbling while I’m “driving”… 😉

Am I an expert? Nope. There is always something to learn in VIM. It is versatile, powerful, ubiquitous, and a genuine pleasure to use after you get comfortable – which is all you can ask of your tools.