Also, it doesn't even make you that much more productive. I love it to bits and use it exclusively, but it's just a bit faster, it's not going to reduce the time it takes you to actually think about the things you have to write.
I agree. The most utility I get out of VIM is quick formatting. I'm very particular on how my code looks, (I want to make things as painless as possible for the next guy), and navigating code in normal mode is much faster than anything I could do with a mouse. As far as writing code goes, typing 120wpm makes me fast, not VIM. As far as thinking goes, Jarnal and a Wacom tablet help me do that, not VIM.
I think that's something we as a community forget. It's ok to feel proud of being good with your tools. It is fun. As long as we don't turn it into a "holier than thou" situation, it's neat to have an editor that you have such mastery over that you can control blocks of text with keystrokes.
Note: I don't quite have it yet myself. I'm been using vim for about 6 months (with only 2-3 of active use) and I'm actually right on that cusp he mentions--where you are searching less and less, and only for more powerful and obscure commands, and things are just starting to all become extremely useful. It's beautiful.
I like to remind people that the flipside of a steep learning curve is a high payoff function. If you can exhaust a tool's potential in a day, or a week, or a month, it really doesn't have much to offer you.
i think it's not even so much about the learning curve, it's about the sheer amount of leverage the skills get you. it's very similar to the way chefs are chuffed about their knife skills - all of a sudden you're doing so much with so little effort that it'd be sadly jaded not to feel a thrill.
Yes, its a fantastic editor. Yes, its probably going to make you more productive. Yes, its every bit as capable as any other IDE or editor out there.
No, it will not make you a better person. No, mastery of vim does not make you fart sunshine. No, it won't make you an enlightened buddha.