This is a vim setup I am writing for myself because I want an editor with a decent feature set that I can use in a terminal session but that doesn't cause me physical or mental anguish.

It might also be of interest to you if you want to use vim occasionally (or 'on a whim'), but not as your primary editor.

If you are already adept or comfortable using vim, this is not for you.

I really like being able to write and edit files in a terminal sessions.

I am also rather accustomed to GUI conventions, specifically, Notepad++ on Windows (and sometimes WINE), more recently Atom on GNOME.

nano is perfectly capable for quick work. I even got it to do a decent job of syntax-highlighting Perl5. But I really want to be able to do more with it. I also dislike its keybindings. vim seems to have most of the features I want - but I am not able to access them. Its keybindings are even worse.

vim is a powerful text editor with an enduring appeal.

Unfortunately, trying to edit files in vim often feels like competing in an egg and spoon race: you must take things very slowly - one wrong move and it's all over. Once you've survived one or two gauntlets, the feeling of relief that the bizarre ritual is over far outweighs any thought for what you might have accomplished or who could do it quicker.

In short: I find the default configuration hideously unusable. I cannot train my fingers - and even if I could I dread to think what that would do to my ability to write in other environments. I'm not a classical touchtypist: my fingers are used to roaming the keyboard, and the hjkl for navigation is ergonomically impossible for me.

On the plus side, it appears to be configurable enough that I can make it mostly follow GUI conventions.

I am quite aware that I am intentionally preventing myself from taking advantage of some of vim's nicer features. It's not that I don't appreciate their elegance, they just don't fit with how I am used to working. I know I'm missing out - but that's ok. My goals are merely:

• to make editing in vim more pleasant and effective than editing in nano;
• to be able to switch between vim and Atom (etc.) without much discomfort.

And if I come across anything else which helps me save a bit of time and effort within those constraints, great!