4 ms·

> I don't use arrow keys to move around in text anymore but forced myself to use h, j, k, l. Many people say that this is faster. After trying this for a few ye

by gwn7 8y ago

> I don't use arrow keys to move around in text anymore but forced myself to use h, j, k, l. Many people say that this is faster. After trying this for a few years, I don't think that is true (at least for me). I now just stick to it out of habit. Sounds like he's not a touch-typist. And as a general note; learning and mastering vim can hardly be a pleasant activity for non touch-typists, or otherwise typing heroes.

keithnz 8y ago
hjkl by themselves are probablly not a lot faster than arrow keys, after watching various people code in Vim on twitch, I notice quite a few use them like arrow keys to arrow to where they want. But it's how hjkl combo with other motions that makes getting around easy. Though I really like easymotion ( and derivitives ) for getting around to random places
mcjiggerlog 8y ago
I don't see why that means he's not a touch typist? I actually use both hjkl and the arrow keys. Arrow keys are useful for moving the cursor in insert mode.
- timrichard 8y ago
  I took it to mean because hjkl are prime territory on the home row.
- gwn7 8y ago
  Because the hjkl key bindings are invented by touch typists for touch typists. Touch typists are more comfortable with using hjkl than the arrow keys as the hjkl keys reside in the home row; so they are extremely cheaper to press than the arrow keys for touch typists. And, you don't need to move the cursor in insert mode. vim and more generally the modal editing concept is invented just so you don't do that. I'm not sure if you are a rookie vim user or have a niche use case that requires moving the cursor in the insert mode. I think it is funny that vim supports arrow keys at all. It's probably to reach a wider audience, and for compatibility. And a related fact is that the original vi doesn't support using arrow keys in insert mode in the way you expect.
stnmtn 8y ago
The best tip i had when using vim is to almost never actually use h or l. w and b are faster because they move you horizontally between words, so pressing w 5 times will get you to the fifth "word" on a line, and b will go backwards. You only really ever use h or l after getting to the "word" you want, then going over to a letter using h and l. I still mostly use j and k to move up or down lines
omn1 8y ago
OP here. I'm a touch typist. Not the fastest, but I can type around 70wpm with ten-finger-system. Still think the movement between the home-row and the arrow keys is not a big deal, at least in my workflow. I actually mostly use w and b instead of h and l because it's faster.

by gwn7 8y ago

keithnz 8y ago

hjkl by themselves are probablly not a lot faster than arrow keys, after watching various people code in Vim on twitch, I notice quite a few use them like arrow keys to arrow to where they want. But it's how hjkl combo with other motions that makes getting around easy. Though I really like easymotion ( and derivitives ) for getting around to random places

mcjiggerlog 8y ago

I don't see why that means he's not a touch typist? I actually use both hjkl and the arrow keys. Arrow keys are useful for moving the cursor in insert mode.

timrichard 8y ago
I took it to mean because hjkl are prime territory on the home row.
gwn7 8y ago
Because the hjkl key bindings are invented by touch typists for touch typists. Touch typists are more comfortable with using hjkl than the arrow keys as the hjkl keys reside in the home row; so they are extremely cheaper to press than the arrow keys for touch typists. And, you don't need to move the cursor in insert mode. vim and more generally the modal editing concept is invented just so you don't do that. I'm not sure if you are a rookie vim user or have a niche use case that requires moving the cursor in the insert mode. I think it is funny that vim supports arrow keys at all. It's probably to reach a wider audience, and for compatibility. And a related fact is that the original vi doesn't support using arrow keys in insert mode in the way you expect.

stnmtn 8y ago

The best tip i had when using vim is to almost never actually use h or l. w and b are faster because they move you horizontally between words, so pressing w 5 times will get you to the fifth "word" on a line, and b will go backwards. You only really ever use h or l after getting to the "word" you want, then going over to a letter using h and l. I still mostly use j and k to move up or down lines

omn1 8y ago

OP here. I'm a touch typist. Not the fastest, but I can type around 70wpm with ten-finger-system. Still think the movement between the home-row and the arrow keys is not a big deal, at least in my workflow. I actually mostly use w and b instead of h and l because it's faster.