Andrea Casarin

Andrea Casarin

Published on: 7/9/2023, 1:13:22 PM - Reading time: 2 minutes

VIM for fun and profit

Coming from Visual Studio Code

For Visual Studio Code (VS Code) users who are seeking to expand their coding capabilities, exploring Vim can be a transformative experience. Vim, a powerful and highly customizable text editor, offers a unique approach to code editing that focuses on efficiency, speed, and minimalism. While VS Code provides a rich and user-friendly integrated development environment (IDE), Vim takes a different approach by providing a lightweight and keyboard-centric editing experience. By delving into Vim, VS Code users can unlock a new level of productivity, fine-grained control over their editing workflow, and a wealth of plugins and configurations that can be tailored to their specific needs. Embracing Vim within the VS Code ecosystem can prove to be a rewarding journey, empowering developers to refine their coding skills and streamline their workflows.

Trying out Vim, the easy way

For Visual Studio Code (VS Code) users who are interested in exploring Vim but prefer to stay within the familiar confines of their IDE, the Vim plugin for VS Code offers a seamless transition into the world of Vim. With the Vim plugin, developers can enjoy the benefits of Vim's powerful editing features and productivity enhancements directly within their VS Code environment. The plugin provides a Vim emulation layer, allowing users to leverage Vim's renowned modal editing, efficient navigation, and advanced text manipulation commands—all without having to leave the comfort of their beloved VS Code. This integration provides an excellent opportunity for VS Code users to dip their toes into the Vim ecosystem, gradually adopting Vim's principles and gradually discovering the immense productivity gains it offers. Whether you're a seasoned Vim user or a curious newcomer, the Vim plugin for VS Code provides a convenient bridge that allows you to harness the power of Vim without sacrificing the familiarity and convenience of your preferred IDE.

Using Vim, the full dive

When you feel ready to fully embrace the Vim philosophy and make a complete switch, it is worth considering Neovim as your editor of choice. Neovim is a modern fork of Vim that offers improved performance, enhanced extensibility, and a more active development community. To jumpstart your Neovim journey, utilizing a configuration starter like LazyVim or Kickstart.nvim can prove immensely helpful. These starter configurations provide a solid foundation, offering pre-configured settings, keybindings, and plugins that align with best practices and optimize your workflow. By leveraging these configuration starters, you can quickly customize Neovim to suit your needs, saving time and effort in setting up your editor from scratch. With Neovim and the guidance of these configuration starters, you can embark on a seamless transition into the world of Vim, unleashing your productivity and embracing the full potential of this legendary text editor.