improve rationale for writers

This commit is contained in:
Reed Esau
2014-02-10 22:00:25 -07:00
parent bc702baa29
commit ecb9b6d920

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@@ -32,24 +32,35 @@ its rich ecosystem of plugins.
## Why use Vim for writing? ## Why use Vim for writing?
With plenty of word processing applications available, including those With plenty of word processing applications available, including those
that specifically cater to writers, why use a programmers editor like Vim that specifically cater to writers, why use a fixed-width font modal
for writing? editor for writing?
There are good reasons NOT to use Vim for writing: * Your hands can rest in a neutral home position, only rarely straying
to reach for mouse, track pad, or arrow keys
* Primitive in certain respects (no WYSIWYG or proportionally spaced
characters, e.g.)
* A modal editor with a relatively steep learning curve
* Time and effort to configure to your needs
But Vim offers a unique editing environment not matched by other writing
tools:
* Hands rest in a neutral home position, only rarely straying to reach
for mouse, track pad, or arrow keys
* Minimal chording, with many mnemonic-friendly commands * Minimal chording, with many mnemonic-friendly commands
* Sophisticated capabilities for navigating and manipulating text * Sophisticated capabilities for navigating and manipulating text
* Highly configurable to suit your needs, with many great plugins available * Highly configurable to suit your needs, with many great plugins available
* No proprietary format lock-in
But while such reasons might be sound, by themselves they are scant
justification to switch from the familiar non-modal word processor.
A compelling reason is called for—one that can appeal to a writers love
for language and the tools of writing.
To find that reason you must look behind the mysterious modal commands of
a vi-style editor like Vim. Whats the significance of a command like
`cas` to _Change Around Sentence_? On one level its merely a mnemonic. On
another these vi commands can be thought of as a grammar of their own,
comprised of nouns, verbs, and modifiers. Put another way, they are
a _domain specific language_ for text manipulation. For more details:
* [Learn to speak vim verbs, nouns, and modifiers!][ls]
* [Your problem with Vim is that you don't grok vi][gv]
* [Intro to Vim's Grammar][ig]
[ls]: http://yanpritzker.com/2011/12/16/learn-to-speak-vim-verbs-nouns-and-modifiers/
[gv]: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1218390/what-is-your-most-productive-shortcut-with-vim/1220118#1220118
[ig]: http://takac.github.io/2013/01/30/vim-grammar/
## Installation ## Installation
@@ -73,10 +84,8 @@ In most cases you can set a default to suit your preference and let
auto-detection figure out what to do. Add to your `.vimrc`: auto-detection figure out what to do. Add to your `.vimrc`:
```vim ```vim
" standard vim command to enable loading the plugin files set nocompatible
" (and their indent support) for specific file types. filetype plugin indent on " may already be in your .vimrc
" It may already be in your .vimrc!
filetype plugin indent on
let g:pencil#wrapModeDefault = 'hard' " or 'soft' let g:pencil#wrapModeDefault = 'hard' " or 'soft'