> 1. Vim is a very powerful tool with plenty of advantages over other
> tools.
> 2. Vim is complex, but there are ways to learn how to use it
> effectively.
Most of my colleagues who use Vim at work do not use it to its full
potential. For instance, I haven't encountered a single one who was
aware of text objects. Most folks are content to learn only 10% of
Vim's unique functionality. I suspect that's true for most people who
use any software. But it's especially sad in the case of Vim since
they really are missing out on a lot.
I believe that any approach that emphasizes using Vim's help system
will do them the greatest service in the long-term. And if you teach
them to effectively search and navigate the help system, it should
also have the effect of getting them hooked. You'll be showing them
that:
1) Vim isn't really *that* hard because it comes with so much good
documentation.
2) Vim has an overwhelming number of features, but I can learn
about them at my own pace because I know where to look for
help.
3) Vim's normal-mode and ex-mode commands all adhere to
well-defined conventions with respect to addresses and motions.
Once I master that, it's just a matter of remembering the names
of some commands. Oh, there is tab completion for the ex-mode
commands! That means I really only need to memorize a few
normal mode commands!
> Start them out with a pre-configured Vim with a lot of "bells and
> whistles" such as syntax highlighting already enabled for them. Maybe
> even install a snippet or skeleton plugin that pre-populates most of a
> C program for them. TagList would not be out of the question.
I would also show off Vim's insert-mode completion capabilities. That
is something that programmers coming from an IDE very much rely on.
> 3. Vim's help tells you basically EVERYTHING you need to know about
> the editor.
>
> This step is VERY important. Without knowledge of :help, Vim is
> basically useless, and a new user will never get beyond basic editing.
> If time permits, I would even demonstrate CTRL-D with a :help topic,
> and :helpgrep.
Please make time to show this aspect of the help system off. I also
encourage you to point out that they can use Ctrl-] and Ctrl-T to
navigate via helptags.
The :options command along with :mkvimrc would be a good thing to
throw into a hand-out. Vim is very, very configurable. These
commands are a good way to explore all of those settings.
In addition to the great resources Ben Fritz pointed to, you can also
direct new users to #vim on irc.freenode.net.
--
Erik Falor
Registered Linux User #445632 http://counter.li.org
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