I’d like actual examples instead of “I work faster”, something like “I can move straight to the middle of the file with 7mv” or “I can keep 4 different text snippets in memory and paste each with a number+pt, like 2pt”, things that you actually use somewhat frequently instead of what you can do, but probably only did once.
Stockholm syndrome
I am logged into various servers via ssh constantly and nano or vim (or at least vi) are installed pretty much by default everywhere.
How could I live without dd, vap, 99j, 99k, 555gg, zt, zz, zb, [, ]?
If these were the only vim commands it would still be better than Nano.
For me it’s plain ol’ tT and fF. I get frightfully bored when a text field makes me use Home/End/arrows 😪
It’s like, I know where I want the cursor, just let me GO there. And no manually moving my cursor into position is not it. It’s so not it
Nano is extremely basic, it’s not really the right comparison. Vi competes well with heavyweight GUI editors and IDEs, yet is available about as ubiquitously as nano.
By learning vi, I can have my no-compromises favorite editor equally available to me locally or remotely. The terse, low-chord (looking at you, nano) editing language in vi means I’m not even that hampered when I do remote editing from my phone.
:%s =nano=vim=g
:123
d5d
y5y
Also, nano is not always present.
The keybindings, the plugins, the general versatility of neo/vi/m. Can’t really say i use anything specific that maybe Notepad++ wouldn’t do, except that vim works via SSH.
It is just from the ground up build to be an extension of your thoughts. One speaks to vim fluently. My advice would be: Ask yourself how some tedious thing could be done quicker, then search the help pages immediately. If not found, expand your search. Learn the default tool. By this you even learn the help. Don’t install plugins for no reason, configure the defaults to your likings instead.
I may not use 100% of vim but I guess you would have a hard time finding something I do not use regularly. My vimrc is <200 lines, <4 plugins. Tabs. I don’t use tabs anymore.
And yes, I even issue vi("*y by hand.
