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> But modal editing is just a bad idea. We've known since the 70s. My understanding was that the UX studies around modal editing showed it was hard for new use
by dllthomas 5y ago
> But modal editing is just a bad idea. We've known since the 70s.
My understanding was that the UX studies around modal editing showed it was hard for new users, which isn't quite the same thing as "bad".
Personally I think what really works about vim for me is the composition of action and motion in a sort of language.
- wutbrodo 5y agoYea, it's a little difficult to describe, but it's more than just pure speed, it's mental load. Vim let's me integrate the entire development process into a single flow. This is true fractally: from typing all the way to being able to comfortably live inside my screen sessions. It's difficult for me articulate how valuable it is to maintaining flow to almost _never_ feel like I'm switching muscle-memory contexts, where my text editing and screen switching and file-handling and model-training and everything else all feel like I'm in the same app. I've never come close to achieving this using a graphical IDE, including with vim keybindings. It obviously requires up-front investment in a way that more newb-friendly GUI tools don't, but I was lucky enough to make that commitment in college, when the initial hit to my productivity was practically costless.