# On Vi Not Vim

In spite of good intentions, I have never mastered vim.

Each time I try, I get bogged down searching online for ways
to make it work like other editors. My config file becomes an
incomprehensible epic.

A few months ago I picked up nvi. My config is four lines long.
The limitations are liberating. Instead of trying to force it into
patterns that come from other applications, I am adapting myself to
it instead, working with the tool instead of fighting it.

I am still a neophyte but I regularly have glimpses of the power it
offers and can see why it has the reputation it enjoys.

The lack of configurability is a strength not a weakness. Or at
least, it suits me better given my temperament.

Perhaps one day I will switch to vim but for now I am happy
mastering the fundamentals with a tool that offers fewer
distractions. There is a larger lesson here.