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For Computer Science this year, we are supposed to use Vim to write code. Trying it out so far has been frustrating and slow, but I don't have much experience with it. Anyone have any thoughts on Vim?

I like vim, but it does take some getting used to (and a few plugins). It is very frustrating to learn though.

You should also be able to use nano. (it's a lot simpler, but I'd rather use vim myself for the syntax highlighting, word completion via ctrl-n, integrated make, etc...)

I like gVim, but I haven't used it in a long time. I haven't had a need for it really since I use an IDE for the most part.

Do you guys find that it saves time since you are not reaching for the mouse?

I don't have the kind of time to become that proficient with it. I am sure it could save time.... but eh...

It is one of those tools where you need to spend 15 to 20 minutes going through the built-in tutorial which explains how to use the shortcut keys. Then maybe another half-hour spent reading a tutorial for how to setup vim for use with whatever language you're planning on using for your project in order to become proficient. And yes, after you've become familiar with the keyboard shortcuts, it is often faster to forgo the mouse. (This is pretty much true for all keyboard shortcuts, right?)

Personally, I use Emacs for non-Java development (primarily common lisp and ansi-c) or for churning out a quick text file. When using Emacs, I turn off the mouse pad on my laptop because the time wasted by hitting the pad on accident far outweighs the benefits of having a mouse. Plus, I find the mouse pointer extremely distracting when I'm typing or coding... perhaps that is just me though.

Vim is actually a good tool to know just because you'll often find Unix boxes where either emacs OR vim is installed, not both. Part of the fallout from the war I suppose... =)

You have the same amount of time as the rest of us... 24/day, 7 days/wk, etc.

You don't have patience. Which is a bit ironic, consider that it takes at least 10x as long to become proficient in VS after all!!!

Nooooo I don't have the time. I have the same amount of it as everybody else, but I have more crap to put in it.

I honestly don't play with tech and programming at home like I used to... and not as much as I want to.

Re#er is an amazing add-in for VS btw.

I don't want to put in the time to (re)learn vi.

I don't use it at work so I'd have to learn it when I'm not getting paid. When I'm not getting paid, I have far more interesting things to do .. hell, it is almost ski season!

Are you certain of this? =)

Unfortunately, eliminating "crap" from out lives, does take quite a bit of time.

Yeah, it does.