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Discussion on: How useful is learning VI/VIM for a new programmer?

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Mirko Vukušić

I started using vim last year, after 30 years of different OSs and editors. Personally, trigger for me was: mouse. I got sick of it, wanted to cut down using it as much as possible. Moved to tiling window manager and Vim the same day. Decided to build IDE-like config with Coc and other plugins. it's been serving me well since. Still a lot to learn, but I feel home.
My opinion is that there are ton of reasons to use (or not to use) Vim. Efficiency is often mentioned but in my opinion it is just one of many reasons (if at all). Personally, for me it's more like what Linux is to Windows. It's absolute freedom to tune it into your own editor/IDE. Also, it's "acquired taste", like a good Cognac. It takes time to love it but once you do, it's impossible not to love it, ever again.
Advice? if you're not a tinkerer, if you lack discipline or patience, if you're always in a hurry to make goals/deadlines and stressed out.... just don't even try it. if you do and don't like it.... just remember good old bottle of cognac. There is a reason it costs so much.

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Mirko Vukušić

Oh to add another important experience.... it started bothering me that other software does not use vim keyboard shortcuts :) I have many :wq strings across my Google Docs, and if there was a :wq domain to buy, I definitely would buy it.
But that gets better too. Switched zsh to vi mode, vifm is my new file manager, etc.