You don't even need to read :help right away. All you need to do is: 1. Start the graphical version, i.e. gvim, MacVim, or any version with drop-down menus.

You don't even need to read :help right away. All you need to do is: 1. Start the graphical version, i.e. gvim, MacVim, or any version with drop-down menus. 2. Press 'i' to enter "Insert mode". Now just use it like any other text editor. 3. Use the menus. Note the equivalent commands (which are listed in the menus). When you want to use those commands, press ESC to switch to command mode, then enter the commands, then press 'i' again to go back to insert mode. That's it. Modern vim has one of the smoothest learning curves of all software.