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Worth learning vim/emacs? (lemmy.fmhy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Im considering spending some serious time learning one of the above. Two principle engineers I work with exclusively use them, and watching them work is incredible, the speed they move and get things done is pure wizadry. Can anyone learn this skill? For what it's worth, the alternative is learning VScode. I’ve exclusive used Android Studio in my career.

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[–] zygo_histo_morpheus 1 points 1 year ago

I love vim and am very happy that I've learned it, but at the same time I wouldn't oversell how usefull it is. I doubt that it makes you much more productive, although you might look and feel more productive. This is because at the end of the day being good at programming is more important than being good at editing text.

The main reason why I like vim is that it's fun and because there is a closer mapping between what I want to do and the action of doing it. When editing in vim I usually have an idea of what I want to do which I can "compile" into a set of vim commans that I can quickly type out, usually without having to leave the home row on the keyboard too much. Using a "normal" editor feels sluggish and like I'm having to "dumb down" my actions.

I think that you should learn vim (or emacs) because it's fun and empowering, or maybe even to occasionaly get the opportunity to impress your colleagues. Don't overthink it though!