Notes on switching to Helix from Vim

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Helix’s appeal and niche

  • Many commenters praise Helix as a “batteries‑included” modal editor: fast, visually polished, ergonomic defaults, with LSP, Treesitter, and search working out of the box.
  • It’s seen as a middle ground between a bare Vim and heavyweight IDEs/VS Code: modern features without the config and plugin sprawl.
  • Some like it specifically as a portable, minimal‑config editor they can install quickly on new or remote machines.

Comparisons with Vim/Neovim and distros

  • Several note there are “zero‑config” Vim/Neovim distros (LazyVim, AstroNvim, kickstart, etc.) that provide similar functionality, though they add their own complexity and maintenance.
  • Neovim is described as more of a toolkit for building an editor, whereas Helix is a ready‑made editor.
  • Some argue Helix has pushed Neovim toward a better out‑of‑the‑box baseline. Others say Neovim’s native LSP + a few plugins now make LSP setup trivial.

Editing model: noun‑verb vs verb‑noun

  • Helix (and Kakoune) use “select first, then act” (noun‑verb) with multiple cursors as a first‑class concept. Fans highlight orthogonality, live visual feedback, and powerful multi‑selection.
  • Vim users often find this “uncanny valley” frustrating versus familiar verb‑noun commands and the . repeat operator. Some feel noun‑verb burns key space and forces heavy use of Alt/Ctrl.
  • A few argue the Kakoune/Helix model better supports complex refactors; others say it over‑emphasizes “editing in the large” versus common single edits.

Plugins, Unix philosophy, and scripting

  • There’s tension between Helix’s no‑plugins (for now) philosophy and users wanting git integration, debug tooling, file trees, and custom commands.
  • Some accuse Helix of being a terminal VS Code clone that will need a plugin system anyway; others prefer its constrained, curated core.
  • Debate around planned Scheme/Lisp‑like scripting: some see it as “Emacs‑like” and niche; others argue Lisp is a strong, modern choice for configuration.

Missing features, stability, and rough edges

  • Frequently mentioned gaps: code folding, richer 3‑way diffing, automatic buffer reload on external changes, integrated debugger, more advanced git tools, Sublime‑style multiple‑selection behaviors, better paragraph reflow, session persistence, and a discoverable file tree.
  • Reports on crashes diverge: some see weekly panics/segfaults (often tied to Tree‑sitter), others say crashes are extremely rare.
  • Helix’s contextual keybinding help popup is widely admired; Vim/Neovim users reference which‑key‑style plugins as a similar solution.

Migration, muscle memory, and minimalism

  • Heavy Vim users report painful muscle‑memory clashes when switching, especially since Vim bindings pervade their shell, IDEs, and browsers.
  • Some developers intentionally avoid LSP/IDE features altogether, arguing that minimal tools and discipline can improve code quality, though many others prioritize productivity and modern assistance.