Why Vim Is More Than Just an Editor – Vim Language, Motions, and Modes Explained

> Vim is the only editor you get faster 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.

> The Vim Language (and Motions)

Vim has a terrific language or grammar behind its shortcuts. Instead, remember a thousand shortcuts; you can learn a couple and combine them. This has nothing to do with the editor yet; they are universal and available in other editors as well.

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

When you launch Vim, you are not typing what you click on your keyboard as you are not in the “insert” mode that you know. Instead, the normal mode you are in lets you do the commands.

> Why Neovim?

Today, there is even a newer version of Vim called Neovim. Super popular. Compared to Vim, Neovim uses Lua, an actual programming language, to configure and extend Neovim. This makes writing plugins and configuring Neovim easier compared to Vim native Vimscript.

> Learning Vim is hard

I also love learning new things and, even better, under the umbrella to make me more productive. But as many of you might have experienced, the hardest part is to get started. The initial learning curve is very steep .

> When you should NOT learn

Suppose you prefer to avoid fiddling and optimizing your workflow or if you do not write or code for a living. You can start with your current editor and activate Vim mode. It will save you a lot of frustration, trust me.

Great insights, articsputnik. My journey with Vim began in a similar way. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the "Vim way" of doing things, but over time, the rationale behind its design choices began to make sense.

The idea that you're editing text more than you're writing it is profound. And as you rightly pointed out, the Vim language makes so much sense once you grasp its fundamental grammar. It's not just about memorizing commands, it's about understanding the logic and structure behind them, and then combining them in intuitive ways.

Regarding Neovim, I've been hearing a lot about it, especially in the context of Lua configurations and extensions. Do you think it's worth the switch for someone who's deeply invested in Vim? Or should they only consider it if they're looking to write plugins or heavily customize their setup?

Lastly, I agree wholeheartedly with your advice on when not to learn Vim. It's not for everyone, and there's no shame in that. Some people are perfectly content with other editors, and that's okay. But for those who are willing to climb that steep learning curve, the rewards are immense.