The vim editor is based on the venerable vi editor, which dates from the very early days of Unix. Many persons find it intimidating for the absence of a menu bar, a terse command set that is very much its own, and its "modal" design.

Nevertheless, under its plain surface is a powerful and versatile tool. Frank Bell describes his five steps to learning to use and love vim.

1. Use a .vimrc file.
2. Train yourself to change modes.
3. Learn and use a few basic commands. These should be enough to get you going: x, dd, dw (to delete text); cw (change a work); yy ("yank" or copy a line); p and P (to paste text); u (undo); w ("write") or save text; q (quit vim).
4. Don't force yourself to move the cursor with the h-j-k-l keys if that doesn't feel natural. Use the arrow keys.
5. Use vim to write stuff.

Links:

• Linux Voice vim tutorial: https://www.linuxvoice.com/download-linux-voice-issue-1-with-audio/
• Linux Voice vim video: https://www.linuxvoice.com/learn-to-love-vim/
• vim homepage: https://www.vim.org/index.php
• vim spellcheck: https://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/htmldoc/spell.html
• Dave Morriss's vim hints HPR series: https://hackerpublicradio.org/series.php?id=82

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