Here’s what my terminal usually looks like
@>vim srv/txt.txt Writes a bunch of lines of code/words/docker containers. [ESC] :sq Can’t edit file without sudo :q! @>sudo vim srv/txt.txt 🥹
I cannot begin to describe how many times I’ve had to re-type the same info in some input form because I hit esc when I had first finished it!
I use eMacs btw
jjjjjjjjjjj? Nah fam,11j.Hmmm, j is not working better try k some… And multiple esc
<ESC><ESC><ESC><ESC>ujj<ESC>u<ESC>v0wsffs<C-z><C-s><A-F4><A-enter>vim pres.typ...word processor users when they try vim (me):
First few time I opened vim (will neovim) I failed to see how to enter a command, and closed the window to get out of it
When $EDITOR is vim, but I expected anything else:
opens file, with small text on the top; text begins changing; text duplicates in size, then triples; text returns to original size; text increases in size to fit several screens…
Then my great reflexes kick on and I notice something wrong :)
Do you prefer when EDITOR is set to emacs?
I ideally with evil installed and easily toggleabkw with M-x evil-mode<enter>
for accessibikity purposes
I will legitimately go esc, :w, i on Google Docs to try and save the document…
Escape in some email clients cancels a new email. I had to retype many emails before email clients began auto-saving drafts.
The paiiiin! How many hours I lost because of this?
Spoiler
Probably less than I used to configure my neovim…
my work client cancels the new mail without there being a draft, though that may be because of muscle memory pressing a key combo after esc. its major pain o7
Explain pls for us vimless noobs
Direction navigation in vim is hjkl.
I know I’m just a vim-less heathen, but using letters for navigation in a text editor seems kind stupid when arrows exist.
No, you’re 100% right. The only reason it’s this way is this: https://pikuma.com/blog/origins-of-vim-text-editor
These literally were the arrow keys on the machine that vim was originally developed on.
Why the hell didn’t they go with JIKL or something instead then, so the pattern at least resembles the direction it navigates?
Wasd was revolutionary at the time
moving my hand this much SUCKS
Why would you move your hand to arrow keys when the letter are already under your fingers?
ESC, use-letter-to-navigate, i, type, ESC, navigate, i, type
Really simple. On my keyboard I re-mapped ESC to TAB so I don’t even have to move my hand to switch between navigate and insert modes.
I have it instead of CapsLock, tab is too useful to forego.
But yes, arrow keys are too far, and I avoid them everytime I can, including in Shell
So you’ve transferred the required hand move from the right hand to the left, and added extra required keystrokes to accomplish the same task. I don’t see how that isn’t worse.
No, it’s a key stroke, not hand move. I don’t have to reposition my hand to hit ESC. You do have to reposition your hand to use arrow keys.
Also, you usually move the cursor by more than just one character. It’s one extra keystroke to reposition the cursor, not to move it by one char. You have shortcuts to jump to end of file, specific line, end of line or even create and jump to bookmarks. All this with just standard keys, without repositioning your hands to use the mouse or arrow keys.
Your keyboard must be slightly different than the one I have in front of me right now. Home row to esc and home row to arrows is the same distance on mine.
First, as I said, I remapped ESC to TAB key. Tab is very close.
Second, it’s different to hit ESC ones than to use arrows keys to move around. To go back to home row after using arrow keys I have to feel around the keys trying to find “j” again. Or look at keyboard. I don’t have to do that after hitting ESC once.
The reason it’s so popular is because it provides directional navigation on the home row, with the direction that’s by far the most common (down) under your strongest, dominant finger (the index finger).
It’s much better for both efficiency and ergonomics than arrow keys.
Instead of using the arrow keys most vi & him users navigate the cursor around the doc by using letter keys. I do it so subcociously now I am not sure which direction is the
jwhen I use my phone.But keyboards have arrow keys now?
Look down at your keyboard. Look at the letters, look at the arrows. You can use hjkl without moving your right hand at all, it’s always in a position to enter commands or text. With arrows, you’d constantly need to switch positions.
Erm. This would be vi? vim has arrow key support.
ITT: People who don’t use vim and insist we have arrow keys now so don’t need hjkl anymore.
This is a problem for me on systems that only have nano installed. Gets me every time
I always uninstall nano on systems with not much users. On the more busy and established servers, I need to leave it as-is and I have to adjust when
visudoopensnanoand I forgot to putEDITOR=vimin front of it.Can’t uninstall it or my coworkers would go nuts. On systems with separate users, I can set it via .bashrc, but on shared user systems … Well. Above happens.
