On Jan 2, 4:39 am, Anthony Campbell <a...@acampbell.org.uk> wrote: > A principal grouse of people who prefer other editors is that vim is > modal. This doesn't actually bother me,
I like Vim in part *because* it is modal. I have trouble in non-modal editors learning all the keyboard shortcuts partially because it is usually simpler just to reach for the mouse. And, I find that having specific "modes" that you edit in more closely mirrors how I think about my tasks...I need to move some text here, delete that text, change the text of a function, etc. which can all be viewed as separate commands, and it makes sense to have one mode from which you can accomplish all of them, and then return to. The ability to use the entire keyboard for quick access to common commands is genius and would be difficult to accomplish without a separate command/normal mode. I remember reading someone likening Vim's normal mode to a video- game controller with a few dozen buttons. The keys are all set up for rapid access to common tasks, and entering text, etc. requires that you enter a different mode. -- You received this message from the "vim_use" maillist. For more information, visit http://www.vim.org/maillist.php
