I would say I was pretty proficient writing and editing code. I have always been a pretty fast typer since I can recall (~100 wpm), albeit with my weird own style of typing (Home row what-is-that?). I am also quite good with ReSharper, which really gives me wings when doing macro-application-aware editing or navigating inside my solution and a great sense of flow when doing TDD. I would say I was pretty proficient writing and editing code, that was once, that is…

Two weeks ago I started using proper typing skills, two weeks ago I started using vim and the vsVim plugin for Visual Studio and maaaan it’s been tough :). The promise of ultimate productivity that we programmers so much long for, that same promise of a seamless interface between our brains and the editor where our thoughts become code, pushed me once more into the abyss… but I am alive and kicking, and here is my story… xD

The first day typing with the home row I dropped to a staggering 10wpm, hell yeah!. I have never felt in my own skin how detrimental subpar typing skills can be to programming (although I understand it is freaking obvious): Coding wasn’t even fun anymore. It has gotten better though, I type now at a steady ~60wpm, and I enjoyed a lot going through the process and reflecting about why the keys are layed out the way they are. Every day is a new wonder XD, I can recall and even see myself talking to Malin about typing… go figure.

And vim; I think I have tried learning vim twice before. I am starting to think that there is a time for every teaching, for every lesson to be learned, sometimes one is just not ready. This time it appears I was, I totally understood, I got it. The first experience opening vim was still scary though, particularly with how spoiled I am today in regards to aesthetics, but then I got it “You are supposed to customize it, Doh!“. I have started using both vim and vsVim and I like it, I do feel like a code surgeon, precise, and I feel free, navigating through the code is a breeze.

The funniest thing of all, that which tells me that vim does indeed work, is that I am trying to vim my way through everything: when typing an email on Gmail or Outlook, when writing a wiki entry on Confluence, or a description in Jira… :)

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll keep you updated on how this whole foolishness ends up xD. Have a nice weekend!!

And Some Interesting vim Resources for the Initiated and Non Initiated

• Moving Your Mind Into Vim Mode (Rob Conery)
• Everyone Who Tried to Convince me to use Vim was Wrong (Yehuda Katz)
• Learn Vim Progressively (Yann Esposito)
• Vim: The Alpha and Omega (Rob Conery)
• Smash Into Vim (PeepCode)
• Vim Adventures
• VsVim: Visual Studio and Vim with Jared Parsons