Vim Learning Stages

Mine went something like this.

0. Morbid curiosity

"Seriously? This is a joke, right?"

1. Initial fascination

"Hmm, in fact this appears to deliver the kind of text editing power I've always dreamed of possessing. I must explore this further."

2. Down the rabbit hole

"Wow, there's so much here. It's complex and often seems counterintuitive, but it's completely intoxicating! My previous text editor now seems hopelessly inadequate, even though I keep returning to it like a child reaching for its blankie."

3. Cutting the cord: Vim citizenship

"Having read the transcript of Andrei Zmievski's 2009 presentation 'VIM for (PHP) Programmers', I'm converted. Vim is now an indispensible part of my life."

At this stage it was no longer possible to return to using less powerful text editors, even though I experienced occasional urges to do so.

4. Text editing freedom

"Normal mode is like flying over a landscape wearing a jetpack. I can go anywhere and do anything! Wheee!"

Appendix A

Possible humorous responses.

  1. "Actually, Stage 1 should be 'Rejection: Horrified, you run to emacs'"

  2. "You're missing Stage 5 in which you learn how to exit vim."

etc.

Bibliography

Andrei Zmievski, Vim for (PHP) Programmers, 2009