Sometimes older methods have great value if we take the time to look closely. Case in point, I started watching some tutorial videos on the Unix VIM editor.
VIM’s functions predate the advent of the mouse so all movement and text selection is done with standard typewriter keys, that’s right, it means no arrow keys either.
I’ve always shied away from VIM because it seemed so outdated and complicated. People who use it say it’s the best editor around once you take the time to learn it.
Since it’s a modal editor (meaning different key combinations cause it to work differently). It takes some getting used to.
Since it was created during a time that mainframes were in use I thought I might want to finally learn to use it; since I use an operating system that is based on a mainframe OS.
Well, The more I use it, the more I learn about it, the more I wish Microsoft had put some thought into adding these features in Word. The search features and text replacement in VIM completely blow Microsoft Word away. I have to admit that it takes some getting used to learning a new method of selecting text, but now I see why everyone raves about this editor.
So sometimes newer isn’t necessarily better. There is a lot to be said for being around for over 40 years.