My Journey to Vim: From VsCode to Zed to NeoVim

The tech influencers finally got to me! After watching ThePrimagen and TJ rave about Vim in countless videos, my curiosity piqued. What was all this hype about?

When I was learning to code, I started with VsCode. It was user-friendly, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone just beginning their coding journey. However, as 2024 rolled around, I began to feel that VsCode, while solid, was not quite cutting it anymore. It started to feel slow and cluttered, clashing with my preference for simpler, cleaner environments. I craved something that would bring me closer to the metal!

That’s when I discovered Zed. I made the switch almost immediately, feeling invigorated by its speed and streamlined interface. It felt like a real developer's editor, especially compared to VsCode, which started to feel like a toy in comparison. Diving into Zed, I found myself wanting to customize it far more than I ever did with VsCode. The process of learning about the editor and tailoring it to my needs was genuinely enjoyable.

Fast forward to late summer 2024, and I found myself engrossed in more Vim-related videos from ThePrimagen, TJ and TypeCraft. Watching them navigate their codebases with such fluidity made me realize that I was missing out on something special. I tried to replicate their speed and freedom in Zed, but it just wasn’t happening. For instance, I learned that in Vim, you could delete text inside curly braces with ease. I couldn't help but think about how much smoother my workflow could be with features like that. It felt like there was a whole other world of possibilities just out of reach.

One weekend, I decided it was time to conquer Tmux and create a solid setup. Armed with a Typecraft video, I crafted a pretty impressive workspace with Tmux, iTerm2, Catppuccin, and a sleek status bar at the top. This setup ignited my passion for the terminal, and I thought, “Let’s dive into this Vim stuff now!” After watching TJ's Vim Kickstart video, I was ready to give it a shot. Boom! In no time at all, I was up and running with NeoVim.

However, mastering Vim motions was a whole other challenge. That Sunday, I dedicated myself to the Vim Tutor guide, pondering when I’d be skilled enough to use it at work. Just two weeks later, I noticed a slower workweek approaching, and I decided to go all in on NeoVim as my daily driver.

Now, five weeks after downloading NeoVim, I can confidently say I’m a Vim guy! The journey has been exhilarating, and I can’t imagine going back. Have you made the switch to Vim or another editor? I’d love to hear your experiences!