i learned (neo)vim and it was disappointing

i got into neovim recently. my small laptop has 8gbs of ram and it keeps running out. so i figured i need something more lightweight. i probably should have tried configuring Marksman LSP on Micro (the terminal editor i was previously using), but whatever.

though, that experience completely shattered my image of the vim way of text editing. it has always been presented to me as the superior way, albeit with a steep learning curve. but when you’re a beginner, it’s just okay. different. a tradeoff. it has disadvantages and advantages.

for one, im surprised by the amount of stuff that takes more keystrokes or mental overhead in (n)vim compared to conventional editors. im currently primarily struggling with the cursor - i kept pressing a when i meant i. i thought i was used to it but the mental overhead gets overwhelming when im super tired on that day. it’s something that i’ll get used to eventually, just a natural part of learning (n)vim.

it’s very easy to dismiss problems like these after it’s not longer a problem for you, but i think there’s value in conventional text editors for being intuitive. with code editors and IDEs adding the much needed depth to it, you can have 80% of the advantages of vim with much less effort, and all without leaving what you already know.

imo (n)vim is straight up inferior when you’re a beginner, as the main appeal is depth - more amount of depth than anything else, so much that you realistically never run out. and with enough effort, you can reach god levels of text editing, much faster than what is possible conventionally. which is an extremely appealing idea, especially to someone like me.

though, im not even sure if it’s worth it. i already spend so much time configuring and learning nvim, time and effort that i could have used for anything else. if i want the best bang for your buck, im better off sticking to vscode for everything. people talk about vim, linux, and cast iron pans the same way - we dismiss concerns on the learning curve because it’s a given, because we’re sitting comfortably on what we’ve built for ourselves, skilled enough that these problems aren’t problems anymore. in a way, dismissing every disadvantage while only looking at the bright side, not taking the effort into account when you talk about how great it is, because it’s supposedly the superior way of doing things.

in conclusion,, neovim good. neovim overrated. i love neovim. i will be using it a lot.