1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
|
---
title: "Configuration and plugin hell and why I don't use Vim and Tmux anymore"
url: configuration-and-plugin-hell-and-why-i-dont-use-vim-and-tmux-anymore.html
date: 2024-03-14T11:11:20+01:00
type: post
draft: false
---
There are three tiers of CLI software as far as I am concerned:
- tools like `ls`, `cat`, `ps` (you use flags to customize, and you pipe
results through them),
- tools like `htop`, `nvtop`, `midnight commander` (you can change the theme
and maybe small things),
- editors like `vim`, `helix`, `emacs` and multiplexers like `tmux`, `zellij`,
`screen` (usually very customizable).
I understand that something like [GNU
utils](https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/) need to be small and concise
and minimal. No unnecessary fat or configuration options. I am a massive
proponent of [POSIX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POSIX) style of utilities. I
still think the [`pipe
operator`](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/piping-in-unix-or-linux/) is one of
the most amazing things ever invented. I am still in awe when I use it today.
But when it comes to applications like text editors or terminal multiplexers, I
have a bit of a different opinion. I think they need to have some basic
batteries included. And I agree that basic batteries included is a loaded term
and means different things to different people. I will try to make a case that
takes in account things that matter to me and, by extension, also may matter to
others. Otherwise, they would not have configuration files for these
applications that are bigger than some of their own projects.
It is very naive to think that bare-bones [Vim](https://www.vim.org/) is enough
for working on a larger codebase. For some it may be so, but the majority of
people would prefer some minimal
[LSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Server_Protocol) integration to
quickly jump to definitions, fuzzy finding of files, things like that. And in
[Vim](https://www.vim.org/), I need a plugin to do this. The same goes for
[Neovim](https://neovim.io/).
People bash on others when they say: I would rather not deal with
configurations, or I just want to use my system without the time investment of
learning everything into details and then configuring it.
Most people don't derive their pleasure from ricing their setup. How is this so
impossible to understand for some people?
There is also the argument that you should learn your tools. That is correct
and true. But again, it's a matter of perspective. Not everything needs to be
conquered and dominated. I am perfectly fine with knowing only 30% of some tool
if 30% is what I need from it to do the job I need to do.
For me, the argument, "But what if you end up being on a server?" is
ridiculous. Firstly, you shouldn't be developing on a server. If you need to
SSH to debug something, there is probably
[Vi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi_%28text_editor%29) there already and `:w`
and searching config files will work. And if nothing else, you most likely have
`nano`. Not pretty, but gets the job done. I don't think people making these
arguments take their [Neovim](https://neovim.io/) setup (with all their custom
shortcuts and plugins, which makes this a [PDE](https://www.guidefari.com/pde/)
actually) with them on the server. If they do this, they should be fired. :)
You should learn [Vim motions](https://vim.rtorr.com/) is another one. They
will change your life. I did learn a lot of them. I think they are amazing. But
my life wasn't changed at all. I can still hop into a normal notepad and do
some coding there and be very productive. Nothing really changed for me. I
suspect these are the things that people who have very addictive personalities
say because [Vim](https://www.vim.org/) motions bring joy to them. I can
imagine they get a massive dopamine hit using it. For me, it does nothing. It
is a convenient way to edit text. If I don't have them, I also don't miss them.
[Vim motions](https://vim.rtorr.com/) I mean. I adapt quickly. Doesn't bother
me at all.
The next argument I hear a lot is, "I only check my setup once a year, and then
I am set. I don't tinker with my setup at all". This is an argument of a
seasoned user who went through all the stages of Vimtopia. If you were to put a
vanilla Vim in front of them, they would feel almost as lost as a first-time
user. You get a completely warped sense of reality when you rice your setup to
ungodly levels. Which you tend to do anyway. It's the nature of the beast.
Sure, you would know some basic motions, but all those custom shortcuts you are
so used to would not be there. You would feel lost. No question about it.
Did I have a massive `.vimrc`? Yes, I did. I was transitioning from
[Emacs](https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/) to [Vim](https://www.vim.org/) and
I wanted some basic things to navigate code and not waste time finding stuff in
projects I work on. And to reproduce something usable required multiple plugins
to make [LSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Server_Protocol) work,
fuzzy searching was a bit easier, just two plugins, I think. But it required a
ton of reading and Googling for information. Also, let's not pretend these
plugins are frozen in time. Making
[LSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Server_Protocol) work with
[Neovim](https://neovim.io/) became much easier, and you now use different
plugins than you did two years ago. So, you also have to keep track of these
things. This adds a big overhead. Let's be honest about it.
The same goes for [Tmux](https://github.com/tmux/tmux). Tmux also supports
plugins. And here we go again. And saying you can just use the native
functionalities is a dishonest thing to say. Because if that were true, nobody
would use these plugins, and they would not be popular at all.
Now, if you like ricing your setup. Configuring things. And playing around with
your environment, you go for it. I can understand. I was the same in my youth.
It was fun and I loved every minute of it.
The problematic thing that occurs is that Vim evangelists then go and preach
the Vim gospel, making everybody not using it feel like shit and incompetent
fools who do not care about "real" programming.
I have friends who use [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) and are
amazing programmers. They don't care about terminals or plugins or config
files. They open their editor of choice and smash at writing the code they need
to write. And my respect for them has nothing to do with the complexity of
their setup. I respect them because the code they write is of high quality. How
they come up with it is of no importance to me.
Most of the software we use daily or runs our world was written by people who
barely knew how to use a keyboard. Just watch [Brian Kernighan
type](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4ROCJYbm0) and you will see what I
mean. And then look at his accomplishments. Slow typing doesn't mean shit. It's
the quality of the work that matters.
The reason why I switched to [Helix](https://helix-editor.com/) is simple. It
has [LSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_Server_Protocol) and fuzzy
finding built-in. There is no plugin system in place, so they needed to include
common things programmers need these days. For commenting a line, you don't
need a plugin. Just press `ctrl+c` over the line and that's it. I don't remap
anything. I use the defaults. The only thing I did was change a default theme.
And I choose one that was bundled with the editor. That was it!
The same goes for [Tmux](https://github.com/tmux/tmux). I don't use it anymore,
but I need a multiplexer. I am used to it. Old dog, new tricks kind of a thing.
I've used it for years and years. And [Zellij](https://zellij.dev/) is a modern
take on [Tmux](https://github.com/tmux/tmux). Batteries included and with sane
defaults. No config file or plugins on my system to make it usable.
This elitism about personal setups is so exhausting. You should use your
computer the way you want to use it, and I will use mine the way I see fit.
This herd mentality I see so often is so cringe. I'm so over taking people
seriously when it comes to these topics.
|
