Why I Chose to Switch to Neovim

I am going to try to keep it simple.

I have been using VS Code for a very long time now. For about 4-5 years. My code editing skills grew within VS Code and I created many projects in there as well.

As of recently though I began to notice a plateau in my code editing skills and realized how limiting the code editor was for my productivity (also how heavy it is). So naturally, I look for a code editor that is not heavy and has a much higher skill ceiling.

This brought me to the one and only Neovim.

The code editor that instantly fills people with a sense of righteousness and superiority.

Transitioning to Neovim from VS Code

I started off with LazyVim distro. It pretty much means that I bought a prebuilt pc and I gaslight myself into thinking that I built this shiz from the ground up.

It was cool. The hjkl was weird along with all the million other keybinds but I can see the appeal. It did get overwhelming at one point with having no idea how to configure the config, not knowing what the hell is happening, using keybinds you didn't make and just seeing this code editor in my terminal as a magic box that some how works. So I went back to VS Code.

The Come Back

After a few weeks back in VS Code, the stale keybinds and skill ceiling start to close in on me so I need to make a change. I decided I need to go back to Neovim, but properly.

I needed to actually understand what is going on under the hood (to some extent) of Neovim, and so I started to create a Neovim config.

I followed an amazing youtube tutorial on how to create a config and this really put me in a way better spot than using LazyVim.

I only added what I wanted and added more when needed. Utilized keymaps that work for me personally. I just made my code editor make me feel the way I wanted it to feel.

Also its really dope to have a code editor in the terminal, I don't think I brought that up previously but thats really cool. A nice change of environment if you will.

Cons

• Getting used to the hjkl
• Remembering the infinite amount of keybind combinations
• I don't understand lua completely, once I do my config will be cleaner

Pros

• Fuzzy Finder (I think VS Code has one but I never used it)
• Telescope and harpoon
• I learned a couple of keybinds, I just know when I get used to it, it will be 100% worth it
• Only add what I want, no excess fat and garbage
• How easy it is to go from one thing to the other

Need to Study Up On

I would very much like to know how an LSP or treesitter works and all that other fancy gibberish. It would be cool to understand it to a degree to ease the voice in my head, constantly asking me "how does that work?".

What I Expect

After getting a hang/becoming comfortable with Neovim I expect to grow to 6'2, drop below 4% body fat, and bench 315.

In all seriousness I would like to better manipulate files and improve my code editing efficiency. That is it. I want to be able to do what I want when I want it, efficiently. Like look for a file instantly or look for a segment of code instantly or navigate between my working files with ease. And have a code editor that only contains the things I told it to.

Side note but I kind of feel like VS Code is like the windows of code editors. Its very bloated and heavy and does not really seem modular if that makes sense.

I feel like I will look back at this blog a while from now and see how naive or uneducated I was on this topic or whatever. I guess that is another reason. To become more educated with code editors.

So to summarize, I want to bench 315 and be cracked at Neovim.