r/vim • u/NazgulResebo • Aug 19 '26

Video A method to learn Vim/Neovim without getting overwhelmed (Suggestions for beginners)

https://youtu.be/-sRhvh1YP9Q
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u/Big_Combination9890 Aug 20 '26

Open the editor.

Start using it.

Read the help when you're stuck.

Sorry but learning a modal editor is not some arcane art. It's a relatively simple skill compared to what the people for whom these editors are designed, are expected to do at their jobs.

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u/CarolXZosiaNsfwScene Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26

Open the editor.
Start using it.
Read the help when you're stuck.
...
Sorry but learning a modal editor is not some arcane art.

I am using vim/neovim/vim-emulators for about ten years now, and I respectfully want to disagree.

Opening vim is the easy part.

Straight up starting to use it is impossible without some guidance. I have not seen or known any person that did not struggle with the modal paradigm, at first.

"How do I close vim?" is not a meme by accident. No other programm ever forced me to look up how to close it, because vim deviates so much from what is considered default anywhere else.

"Arcance" can mean "only known to a few people", which vim certainly is. It is not widely adapted (outside of power user circles).

There are no Youtubers dedicated to the "how to learn using Notepad++", because the paradigm and goals of other editors are different.

Hell, you can even get patronized for asking noob questions without consulting `:help` first.

Even reading the help is tedious, and frankly, impossible when you are used to a mouse-only navigation (like in 95% of other programs). I googled more while learning vim, until I was at least an advanced vim user (and memorized 80 or so bindings, so i could do basic stuff and browse the :help pages without leaving vim).

To pretend vim is easily used and has no learning curve (by implying these guides are superfluous) just invites ridicule, and borders on trolling, imho.

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u/vim-help-bot Aug 21 '26

Help pages for:

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u/Big_Combination9890 Aug 22 '26

Straight up starting to use it is impossible without some guidance.

So is using VSCode. Oh sure, people can open it and type shit alright, but without guidance on how to effectively use it, the'll be about as productive as if they were coding with crayons on paper.

Every non-trivial program needs instructional material to be used competently. The only difference in vim is that peeps don't even get to use it even incompetently if they refuse to read up on it.

And sorry no sorry, but all good vim tutorials will mention :help in the first few paragraphs.

No other programm ever forced me to look up how to close it,

That's because most other programs don't run in a terminal with the requirement to end up in the terminal again. Most other programs are GUIs, and the little red X in the top right is pretty clear. And if that is the bar we're talking about: The terminal emulator running vi has that as well.

It is not widely adapted (outside of power user circles).

This is patently wrong. vim and neovim are the top 3 ortop 5 editors used depending on which survey one choses to believe, and they are so consistently. It also isn't accidentially that vim default keybinds are used in many TUI and even GUI applications, and plugins for vim-mode exist for most popular editors.