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Alexa Griffin
Alexa Griffin

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RSI and vim

I have rsi, and thus can't type very well (about 40wpm max, 30 on a normal day.) There are also of course switching costs, which have been well documented elsewhere and are only really a problem if it takes too long which it shouldn't. My current editor is atom, and I know all relevant hotkeys and usage tools for my day to day work. So factoring all of that in would it be worth it to learn? My primary languages are c++ and js if it matters.

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martin profile image
Martin Beentjes

What keyboard and mouse are you using? What is adviced?

I think the best first step is to look at ergonomic keyboards and such. Then get the hang on typing on that. If you got used to that, start by minimising the movements you make.

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yannvr profile image
Yann VR

Absolutely! Don't know much about RSI but I can tell you that neither your wrists or hands will move once you grok vim! You'll never have to use ESC or the arrow keys.

There is a learning curve so I'll give the best 2 advices you can have to start kicking ass in VIM:
The practical VIM book (pragprog.com/book/dnvim/practical-vim) and finishing the Vim adventures game vim-adventures.com/. By level 12, you will realise your wrists are not moving anymore.
RSI or not, VIM will give you the ability to edit at the speed of thought. Everything has been designed to minimise movements while maximise productivity.
You don't have to give up Atom. Just use a plugin (atom.io/packages/vim-mode).