I used the vim extension for about a month and am now making what is a very jarring/uncomfortable switch to exclusively using vim (neovim technically). I thought I had comfortably got the movements inside a file down, but now that I’m trying to navigate medium/large projects, I see how much more I need to learn before I can “break even” and get back to my speed/comfort in vscode. I’m finding myself doubting the amount of time I’m dedicating to configuring/practicing vim and am seeking insights as to whether or not this is a worthwhile way to spend my time as I don’t really know what the vim endgame looks like, while vscode was definitely good enough.
Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
1–10 of 42 posts
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#2You don't mention anything about your needs.
Vim shines when you need the same editing interface anywhere, on any VM, any server, any machine.
If that's not you and VSCode suits your needs, especially around navigating large projects, then I'd say stick with that.
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#3You don't mention anything about your needs. Vim shines when you need the same editing interface anywhere , on any VM, any server, any machine. If that's not you and VSCode suits your needs, especially around navigating large projects, then I'd say stick with that.
Good point. I’m a Fullstack js web dev and decided I should make the switch after a combination of getting fed up with unpleasant experiences on ec2 instances and creating dozens of custom vscode shortcuts that I later learned do things that basic vim does
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#4Yes vim will help with small tasks even for beginner, still require advanced study how to use to get vim power. After hype impression of vs code I have found it only extend my workspace ability on the half. Usually I need code something from thin pc where vs code works slow or even I need to connect to cloud terminal instance to programming here on the place.
Form thin pc I preffer to use Zed code editor from google apps, this small js program works offline and do not freeze for large code base.
For terminals i prefer micro, it is golang written code editor.
Recently dev.github.com provides online code editor that works with ci/cd piplines.
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#5You don't mention anything about your needs. Vim shines when you need the same editing interface anywhere , on any VM, any server, any machine. If that's not you and VSCode suits your needs, especially around navigating large projects, then I'd say stick with that.
Good point. I’m a Fullstack js web dev and decided I should make the switch after a combination of getting fed up with unpleasant experiences on ec2 instances and creating dozens of custom vscode shortcuts that I later learned do things that basic vim does
Seems like you should stick with it then.
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#6Why not use the VSCode vim extension best of both worlds :)
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#7what are your goals?
'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' - if you find that you are able to work comfortably with vscode with the vim extension, and it is meeting all your needs, then honestly that might be what works best for you. However, if you find that you are hitting walls with extensibility or flexibility, _then_ it's time to maybe consider a switch. in my experience of using vim for like a decade now, a successful vim user is often someone who is _obsessed_ with squeezing usability and optimization out of their tools/toolchain. I have seen many an engineer try and force Vim on themselves because of the perception they think others will have of them as a somehow more skilled or 'in the know' engineer. And while i'm not suggesting thats what you are doing, it's definitely a pattern i've seen more and more.
Moral of the story, figure out what you need out of your tools and adapt your toolchain to those needs. and if navigation is your main issue, you should look into easy-motion and Tags, those will help a lot.
And for what it's worth. After a lot of tinkering and thinking about my own goals, i ultimately settled on Doom Emacs, and that's been my preferred editor for a few years now. Many vimmers have found that to be the ideal 'endgame', anecdotally, at least.
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#8Its definitely worth learning vim, which you can do plenty well with the VScode vim plugin. Its probably not worth moving unless you have some real issues with your workflow or you're bored and want to learn something new.
Im trying to move completely to Lunarvim, a vim config with a lot of neat tools built in, but only because I fell in love with the keybinds and I don't want to spend the time configuring vscode or pycharm to do the same. That said, I still swap to pycharm or vscode for the debugger.
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#9The biggest reason I have to use vi(m) is for messing with servers in production and opening large files.
Otherwise I use non-GUI Emacs. Before that I used vim. My biggest motivation for using terminal-based text editors is that they're faster than GUI editors and easier to switch between CLI tools and the editor. Also, I prefer to do my development within remote servers (that are much beefier than my laptops/desktops). So I just SSH in and do the work.
I'm ok with giving up the builtin niceties like jump-to-definition and syntax-aware find-replace. (I could get this working in emacs but it never works in every language or I forget how to set it up when switching environments or something so I end up not using this kind of feature).
If you have a motivation then you'll figure out how to make it work eventually. If you don't have these kinds of motivations then I'm not sure why you'd pick terminal editor.
Re: Ask HN: Is switching from VSCode to Vim worth it?
#10what are your goals? 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' - if you find that you are able to work comfortably with vscode with the vim extension, and it is meeting all your needs, then honestly that might be what works best for you. However, if you find that you are hitting walls with extensibility or flexibility, _then_ it's time to maybe consider a switch. in my experience of using vim for like a decade now, a success…
Thanks for taking the time to write this out. I’ve always been into shortcuts/efficiency when using computers, but vim has made me realize how just how deep the rabbit hole goes and I find it intimidating. With that said, since learning more about vim and why people like it, I find myself getting more and more frustrated every time I instinctively reach for the mouse in vs code or really anything, which while it’s not even that slow, this mental tax leads to an unpleasant development experience. I’m now finding myself at the awkward intersection of seeing how much I leave on the table with vscode in the long term, but also not being anywhere near as productive after making the full switch to vim.
I could care less about what people think of the editor I use. The ergonomic benefit is nice, but after seeing a video[0] of someone who is clearly years ahead in vim fluency, I am so drawn to the idea of having my productivity limited by my thoughts vs how quick I can interaction with my editor.