Introducing MacVim

I hate VI. Well, I used to hate VI. Back in my Sys. Admin. days, I avoided VI like I owed it money. I was convinced my *nix savvy coworkers were hittin’ the pipe. They couldn’t persuade me with banter, intelligent conversation or free beer (yep, even free beer). I was a Windows guy; a right click wonder. In the age of GUIs, rodent peripherals and boy bands, why would I waste time cramming archaic commands into to an already overcrowded brain? Every time I encountered VI, I asked myself the same question. “How the hell does anyone use this sh*t?”

Sadly, I didn’t leave my comfort zone long enough to answer that question. I wasted years avoiding VI due to an irrational aversion to learning (the kind of behavior I so deeply despise). If you’re going to say nay to a tool, then you should be able to intelligently articulate the reason(s) why. That wasn’t the case with VI.

In an effort to change that, I installed MacVim. The first few minutes were intimidating but rather than run in terror, I took to Google. After skimming a few blog posts and tinkering with config files on GitHub, the intimidation was no more. My nerd-sense was tingling. It was clear I wasn’t dealing with the crusty command line VI that ate noobs for breakfast. Nope, MacVim was noob friendly. Several hours and a few commands later, I was easily moving though my code. Thanks to plugins, I was able to extend MacVim with most of the features that make TextMate such an amazing editor. I was also pleased that it looked like a mac app and not some hideous Linux port.

Conclusion

It’s to early to corroborate the stories of enhanced productivity but in the meantime, I’m having fun. I know vim’s not for everyone and you don’t have to drink the kool-aid. I simply wanted to share an experience and maybe inspire an open-mind. Besides, learning new things is good to fend off zee stasis.

My current MacVim configuration is on GitHub if you’re so inclined.