4 ms·

Using vi/vim lets one enter a secret dark corner of programmer society. Memorize vi keystrokes is knowing the secret handshakes. Able to Exit vim is finding t

by srcmap 9y ago

Using vi/vim lets one enter a secret dark corner of programmer society. Memorize vi keystrokes is knowing the secret handshakes. Able to Exit vim is finding the door to enlightenment. If vi comes with an easy "back" button like all browsers, no-one will learn it. One needs to be trapped inside for a while to feel the power of the dark side.

throwaway7645 9y ago
Is ":q!" really that crazy after 2 secs with Google?
- entelechy0 9y ago
  I always use ZZ
- Certhas 9y ago
  Yes it is, if you are coming from a GUI life, start using the shell for the first time, and suddenly get thrown into some unnamed editor by git. :P It breaks about every convention on editors and discoverability that you're used to. Start GNU nano. It puts me in a position where typing edits the file I opened. It shows me the name of the program. It shows some keyboard shortcuts for interacting with the program. (Though for beginners the ^X syntax isn't obvious either). Vim, doesn't give me any of that. I infrequently use vim and I still tend to open a file and start typing without hitting i first, because it's behaviour that's inconsistent with every single other editor I have ever used.
  - netzone 9y ago
    My worst memories of starting out with programming is doing a git merge or pull, then before the command was done, I'd start typing git push or... and then I got stuck in insert mode. This was after I had learned that :q och :wq! did the job, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to get out of insert mode. Fun times.
  - throwaway7645 9y ago
    Or because every other editor you've had is inconsistent with Vim. It is dumb if people are being dumped there by Git. I guess if you try to use it and get stuck it is a lot easier to escape than if someone gets dumped there without even knowing where they are.
- kefabean 9y ago
  Or (I'm surprised it's not been mentioned already): Shift-ZZ to save and close (saves an extra keystroke)

by srcmap 9y ago

throwaway7645 9y ago

Is ":q!" really that crazy after 2 secs with Google?

entelechy0 9y ago
I always use ZZ
Certhas 9y ago
Yes it is, if you are coming from a GUI life, start using the shell for the first time, and suddenly get thrown into some unnamed editor by git. :P It breaks about every convention on editors and discoverability that you're used to. Start GNU nano. It puts me in a position where typing edits the file I opened. It shows me the name of the program. It shows some keyboard shortcuts for interacting with the program. (Though for beginners the ^X syntax isn't obvious either). Vim, doesn't give me any of that. I infrequently use vim and I still tend to open a file and start typing without hitting i first, because it's behaviour that's inconsistent with every single other editor I have ever used.
- netzone 9y ago
  My worst memories of starting out with programming is doing a git merge or pull, then before the command was done, I'd start typing git push or... and then I got stuck in insert mode. This was after I had learned that :q och :wq! did the job, and I could not for the life of me figure out how to get out of insert mode. Fun times.
- throwaway7645 9y ago
  Or because every other editor you've had is inconsistent with Vim. It is dumb if people are being dumped there by Git. I guess if you try to use it and get stuck it is a lot easier to escape than if someone gets dumped there without even knowing where they are.
kefabean 9y ago
Or (I'm surprised it's not been mentioned already): Shift-ZZ to save and close (saves an extra keystroke)