it would be cool to be able to open
files without having to do File -> Open
using the menu bar
How about using the :edit command?
> 3.5.1 Plugin manager: Pathogen
> 3.5.2 The NERD Tree: a file explorer
The NERD Tree is a plugin that will
allow you to display your directory
and file tree directly in Vim
> 4.1 Learning how to move
Most distributions of vim include the netrw plugin for remote and local directory browsing. Do we really need to learn how to install plugins before even learning how to navigate within a file?
This book seems to focus on the basics of vim. Unfortunately, it falls into the common trap of piling on many layers of unnecessary extras before explaining the basic details. I would not recommend this resource to a beginner.
Your opinion is quite common with old vim hands, but I would have to respectfully disagree.
Someone learning vim is probably coming from Atom or Sublime. The defaults in vim are so egregiously awful, that I don't think you can expect these folks to stick with learning. Their productivity drops to zero - there isn't even syntax highlighting - so they give up and go back to what they were using.
You have to get vim to a point where they can be sort of productive, if you want them to stick with it. I think some customization is necessary for beginners.
An alternate idea would be to use neovim, which fixes many of the defaults.
I switched to Vim as my primary editor about two months ago. I remembered how much easier Emacs Live[0] had made my life when I was giving Emacs a serious go a little whole ago, and found a sorta-equivalent for Vim[1] which smoothed over a lot of the rough edges and put in some of the modern convenience an ST die-hard like me would expect (autocompletion, package management and what have you).
That left one remaining barrier, which is the weirdness of modal editing; which is the important barrier, because the only reason you'd use vim is to sign up to the pre-eminent modal editor.
Maybe, two new laptops from now, or one lonely weekend, I'll take a hacksaw to spf13 and strip out the bits I don't need. But for a shallow onramp experience, it's been a godsend.
> 3.5.1 Plugin manager: Pathogen
> 3.5.2 The NERD Tree: a file explorer
> 4.1 Learning how to moveMost distributions of vim include the netrw plugin for remote and local directory browsing. Do we really need to learn how to install plugins before even learning how to navigate within a file?
This book seems to focus on the basics of vim. Unfortunately, it falls into the common trap of piling on many layers of unnecessary extras before explaining the basic details. I would not recommend this resource to a beginner.