Why I switch from Visual Studio Code to NeoVim

As a programmer, one of the most important tools in my arsenal is my code editor. I've been using Visual Studio Code (VSCode) for years and it's been a reliable editor, but recently I decided to make the switch to Neovim. In this blog post, I'll explain why I made the switch and why you might want to consider it too.

First, let's talk about what Neovim is. Neovim is a fork of Vim, a highly customizable text editor that's been around since the 90s. Neovim is built to be more modern and extensible than Vim, with a focus on making it easier to develop plugins and integrate with other tools. Neovim also has a more consistent and flexible scripting language, making it easier to automate tasks and customize your workflow.

So why did I switch from VSCode to Neovim? There were a few reasons:

Performance

One of the main reasons I switched to Neovim was for its performance. While VSCode is a great editor, it can be a bit slow and bloated at times. Neovim, on the other hand, is incredibly lightweight and fast. It loads up almost instantly and I can open and switch between files with ease.

Customizability

Another reason I switched to Neovim was for its customizability. Neovim has an extensive plugin ecosystem and can be customized to suit your needs. With a few tweaks to my configuration file, I was able to create a highly personalized environment that perfectly suited my workflow. VSCode is also highly customizable, but I found that I had to install a lot of extensions to get it to work the way I wanted.

Modal Editing

Neovim uses a modal editing system, which can take a bit of getting used to, but is incredibly powerful once you get the hang of it. The modal editing system allows you to use different keystrokes to perform different actions, depending on which mode you're in. This can greatly speed up your workflow once you get used to it. VSCode, on the other hand, uses a more traditional text editor interface.

Terminal Integration

One of the things I love about Neovim is its terminal integration. I can run shell commands and interact with my terminal directly from within Neovim, without having to switch to a separate terminal window. This has been a game-changer for my workflow and has allowed me to streamline my development process.

Overall, I'm really happy with my switch to Neovim. While there was a bit of a learning curve at first, I found that the benefits outweighed the initial investment. If you're looking for a lightweight, customizable, and powerful code editor, I would definitely recommend giving Neovim a try.