VIM Master

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction to VIM Master

  • People like the idea and presentation; several call it “cool” and “fun”, and mention using it in lessons or courses.
  • Many want more depth: more levels, macros as a “next level”, and challenges for intermediate/advanced users rather than only basics.
  • A few users hit bugs: :qa dropping into insert mode with undeletable text, diw/daw incorrectly entering insert mode, lack of support for non-default keybind configs, and missing <C-[ as Escape in challenge mode.

Comparisons to other Vim learning tools

  • Multiple alternatives are mentioned:
    • vimtutor / Neovim tutor (viewed as the “original” tutorial; some are surprised it’s not referenced).
    • vim-adventures, vim-hero, vimsnake, pacvim, Vimcasts screencasts.
    • Vimgolf and vimgolf.ai; VS Code “learn vim” extensions.
  • One analogy: vimtutor is to VIM Master as Babbel is to Duolingo — textbook vs gamified learning.
  • Some say these games are great for basic motions and muscle memory, but often stop short of advanced features.

Pricing, login, and UX gripes (other tools)

  • Strong criticism of vim-adventures’ 6‑month subscription model; several prefer one-time purchase and/or an offline copy.
  • Some paid and felt it was worth it for making learning tolerable; others disliked gating basic motions behind progression and felt it taught bad habits compared to vimtutor.
  • vimgolf.ai and vimgolf’s required sign-up (Twitter/GitHub) are seen as off-putting, especially for a niche Linux/Vim audience.

Desire for deeper skill-building

  • Many commenters struggle with “knowing when I can be more efficient” and want tools that push marks, registers, macros, and advanced motions.
  • Suggestions:
    • Plugins like hardtime.nvim to discourage inefficient navigation.
    • Exercise repos, Vim Message-of-the-Day scripts, and Vim Golf-style puzzles for optimization.
  • Numerous concrete tips shared: using marks (ma, 'a) for yanking/deleting; visual/column mode and relative line numbers; better exit commands (:xa, :qa!, :wqa, :up) and custom mappings.

Vim philosophy and ergonomics

  • Several describe learning Vim as one of their best time investments and compare mastery to playing an instrument.
  • Others caution against over-optimizing editing when design/decision-making is often the real bottleneck, though advanced text manipulation (column editing, macros, regex) can be a major win in niche tasks.
  • Minor side debate: staying within POSIX vi vs embracing modern Vim features; plus common ergonomics like remapping Caps Lock to Escape.