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The only thing what makes modal editing bearable (from UX PoV) is the unlimited undo. e.g. Would anyone take a plane that has modal cockpit buttons?
by szemet 6y ago
The only thing what makes modal editing bearable (from UX PoV) is the unlimited undo.
e.g. Would anyone take a plane that has modal cockpit buttons?
- Cyph0n 6y agoWhat does flying a plane have to do with editing and navigating code?
- szemet 6y agoIt happens me every day: I just start to type while still in command mode, and then have to press "u" a couple of times. (But ok, thats maybe just me - thought this is a common experience, and I just wouldn't like to sit behind a pilot doing the same...)
- pvg 6y agoThis sort of thing has been a factor in airplane accidents - pilots becoming confused about stuff like the automation regime they're in.
- chongli 6y agoThis problem can be mitigated to an extent with a vim setting to change the cursor from a block to a vertical line when you enter insert mode. After using it for a bit your brain will learn to look for the vertical line before typing.
- xenomachina 6y agoAll editors are modal, just to different extents. In Notepad, if you type a letter it inserts it, unless you have some text highlighted, in which case it replaces that text. "Some text is selected" is a mode. The big thing that classic vi got wrong with modes from a usability perspective is that changing modes is mostly invisible. In vim, however, you can configure it to change the cursor shape in different modes, and this is a pretty effective cue. (It's also the default behavior in gvim.)