Now that you are finally ready to start programming, you need to prepare an editor. In short, an editor is a tool for writing program code. There are two types of editors: editors and IDEs, but let’s start with the editor.

In 2021, VSCode will be the most popular! Moreover, while the market share of other editors is decreasing year by year, VSCode’s market share is increasing at a rapid pace. And while the market share of other editors has been declining year by year, VSCode’s market share has been growing at a rapid pace. Indeed, I feel that most of the people who are smugly coding at Starbucks have VSCode screens open. There’s a good chance you’re a VSCoder, too, if you’ve reached this article.

If you are a beginner, you should still use VSCode. You can do most things with just this one app. One of its strong points is that it has a large market share, so there are many extensions available. And the fact that it’s powered by MicroSoft gives you a sense of security, doesn’t it? If you are just starting out, or if you are still inexperienced, VSCode is the way to go.

Editors fading away with generational change

The rise of editors and IDEs has been fierce in my life as a programmer. 15 years ago, I think a lot of general programmers were using Hidemaru and Sakura Editor. Then there was Eclipse (especially for the Java language). And the techies at the time were using Emacs and Vi to do the heavy lifting.

A few years later, “Sublime Text” was spreading one after another around me, and after that, JetBrain’s IntelliJ and Vim became popular again, and more and more users started using NeoVim. I was also a NeoVim user for several years. However, it was common to change editors and IDEs depending on the language and project. In other words, it was a state of confusion.
Nowadays, however, Hidemaru and Sublime Text are as old as fax machines, Eclipse is rarely seen, NeoVim is preferred by advanced users, and Sakura Editor is still in use in Windows environments.

It seems that VSCode is trying to unify the world by destroying other editors one after another. However, having seen the repeated rise and fall of “NeoVim is the best” and “you can do everything with one Sublime”, I am somewhat skeptical about whether VSCode will continue to be the champion or not.

VSCode and Vim

Anyway, as of 2021, VSCode is by far the most popular and easiest to use. So beginners should use VSCode first. In addition, you should do Vim binding.
Okay? Beginners should definitely bind Vim. Intermediate users should also use VimBind unless they have special reasons against it. I’ll tell you why later.
I’ll say it again. Install VSCode now, and install “vscodevim” in Extension!

• Install VSCode

Extension “vscodevim”

After starting VSCode, install the extension as follows

ctrl＋shift＋x

Type "vim" in the input field and select "vscodevim".

Select "install"

command＋shift＋x

Type "vim" in the input field and select "vscodevim".

Select "install"

If you are familiar with Vim, you may think this is obvious, but when you open the file, it should open in normal mode (with a wide cursor).

Why Vim binding?

Here’s why.

1. Many commands are more efficient than others.
2. You use vi (vim) to manipulate files over SSH anyway.
3. vim operations can be used in other editors -> highly versatile

I think most programmers would agree that Vim commands are very useful and efficient. As I mentioned in my last article, programmers perform thousands or tens of thousands of simple editing operations, and Vim’s commands can save us a lot of time in the future by saving us just a few seconds.

In addition, many engineers SSH into servers (mostly Linux servers) and operate them with commands, and Vim is often used as an editor command at that time as well, so there is no harm in learning it.

In addition, and this is also important, as mentioned above, we don’t know if VSCode will remain popular in the future, and we will continue to use various editors in the future, such as the need to use Visual Studio and Android Studio for application development. At that time, if I learn only VSCode shortcuts and extensions, I won’t be able to use other editors and IDEs well, and I will have a feeling of resistance to other than VSCode. Then you end up like my uncle, who still uses SubLimeText. (I’m just using it as an example, I don’t think SubLime is bad.)
Vim bindings are available in almost all editors and IDEs, and it is highly unlikely that Vim will disappear in the future. In other words, Vim operations are very versatile and will likely be useful for a long time to come. To put it another way, Vim is my true love, and VSCode, Sublime, and many others are my mistresses. VSCode is my current playmate, but Vim is my true love.

There are certain opponents of Vim. They have used Vim long enough to argue that Vim is not good. When I talk to a Vim expert, I often think, “That’s too much. There are many times when I think, “That’s just too much! However, the overwhelming popularity of Vim will not be broken for a while.

Welcome to the Vim

I think it’s hard for a beginner to start using Vim. I won’t go into Vim operations in this article, but there are some sites and Youtube videos that explain them in detail, so please check them out. After two weeks, if you are still not familiar with Vim and feel stressed, you can uninstall VimExtension and return to the default settings. After two weeks, if you still feel stressed out and unfamiliar with Vim, you can uninstall the VimExtension and return to the default settings, and then resume the VimBind process whenever you feel like it.

As you endure the hardships, you will find yourself unable to live without Vim. That’s what Vim is all about. (I’m not a Vim expert.)

I’m pushing VSCode unnecessarily this time, but depending on the development, I often use other environments such as VisualStudio, xcode, AndroidStudio, and so on. Don’t worry, you can vim bind all of them.