A programming language / environment is at its best when it minimizes the amount of cognitive load and context switches. Mouse movements require a feedback loo

A programming language / environment is at its best when it minimizes the amount of cognitive load and context switches. Mouse movements require a feedback loop where the user must lift their hand feel around for the mouse, then move the mouse, then there is a rapid loop where the user moves the mouse, sees where the cursor goes, determines how far from the destination it is, then repeat until the goal is reached. Vim cursor movements however are more logical and absolute. Go up 2 lines, end of word, end of line, everything inside the quotes, etc. The cognitive load required is much less in vim -- at least once learned, but definitely not in the beginning when going through the learning curve. It may not seem like much but every bit of brain power that can be freed up is that much more brain power that can be used to concentrate on the task at hand. To someone who is trained in vim it just feels much more relaxed and fluid when editing. To exaggerate, imagine if every time you had to use the mouse, you had to open a drawer, pull out the mouse, plug it in, perform your action, then unplug it, then put it back into the desk. This is a contrived example for sure but it gives an illustration of the subtle distraction and annoyance many vim users feel when they have to use the mouse.