{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "description": "docs: review of Practical Vim by Drew Neil",
  "path": "/posts/practical-vim-by-drew-neil/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-09-22T00:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://read.ryancowl.es",
  "tags": [
    "Books"
  ],
  "textContent": "I've used Vim for years, mostly for editing config files on a remote server or breaking one of my Raspberry Pis. But I never really dug into it beyond basic usage. I figured what better time to actually learn Vim than 2025?\n\nPractical Vim by Drew Neil is structured as a collection of tips rather than a linear tutorial. Each tip is a self-contained lesson on a specific technique, which makes it easy to pick up and put down. But the tips build on each other in a way that gradually shifts how you think about editing text.\n\nThe biggest takeaway for me was understanding the \"Vim way\" of doing things. Vim's commands are composable. Once you internalize that motions, operators, and text objects are meant to be combined, the editor stops feeling like a collection of shortcuts and starts feeling like a language. Understanding the \"why\" behind certain patterns made the \"how\" stick in a way that cheat sheets never did.\n\nA side effect I didn't expect: I now want to navigate everywhere with my keyboard, even in apps that don't support it. It also made me realize I do some weird things with touch typing that I'm still working to break.\n\nIf you've been using Vim casually and want to get more out of it, this is a good place to start. It's practical (the title delivers on that) and it respects the reader's time.",
  "title": "Practical Vim by Drew Neil"
}