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Modern Vim

modernvim.com

72 pointsbengl34 comments

After signing up: "Thanks! I'll send you an email once the book is released."

How about sharing vim tips every week as you are writing the book? If you write me one email 8 months from now, I'll probably forget who you are.

Hmm, I don't want to be spammy, but this could be a good idea. Anyone else have thoughts on this?

I would not view that as spammy at all.

It wont seem spammy if it is well executed. Just make it easy to unsubscribe from the tips without unsubscribing from the book notification. Also, make it clear in the first email that the recipients only signed up to get notified about the book but that you thought it would have been useful to send periodic tips. Also be sure that the tips have are posted on the web, so they can be shared and viewed without having to reference an email.

I think it's a great idea, especially if the tips are concise and easy to absorb.

Actually it's a pretty good idea, maybe even better than the book itself. I'd be glad to receive vim tips everyday in my e-mail.

People sign up to your list because they are interested in content you provide. No one will mind, and it will certainly improve your sales once you do launch.

I did this with my book. 0 unsubscribes.

I agree to the daily or maybe have an option for a weekly thing, but I am not sure how this will match up with the model/book you have planned out so far.

You could also take the approach the Django Book originally did. Posting the book online while you write, with editing help from the community and a print version available once complete. I would definitely buy the print version as well as use the web reference.

Yes please.

send the emails with an unsubscribe link. you'll be fine.

Much like others have said, when people sign up for content giving them content isn't spammy. Do include an unsubscribe link. Also include a subscribe link, include content worth forwarding, and sell more books.

Edited to add: Might want to have a "just tell me when the book is ready, no more o' these" just in case. But really, if people aren't interested in content similar to what's in the book, why are they buying the book?

I hate to be negative, but this is just marketing research, there's absolutely no content at the linked site.

We don't need a book.

We need a vim installer that can do all those things which you will have to otherwise spend time and work endless hours customizing vim to do.

The reason why people move to modern GUI based editors is those editors do many things out of the box which you have to otherwise spend time learning and then do it.

I've been using the same vimrc (and gvimrc) for at least 4 years (minor tweaks when something breaks, of course). But 99% of the time, it's identical and set up exactly how I like it, versus the magical GUI IDEs that change where options are, or what they are called. I don't have time for that (and I use the same vimrc on windows, Mac and Linux).

Sure the initial set up is difficult. But once it's done, it's done.

>But once it's done, it's done.

And I think that right there is the reason such a tool will never truly catch on. (Nearly) everyone who currently uses Vim wouldn't use it. It is why things like Cream never caught on I think; there really is not as much demand as some people think.

Vim has become very popular recently and it seems that a lot of people want to use it right away. I REALLY think that it's a bad idea but, judging by the popularity of things like Janus, SPF13 or the many "ultimate vim configs" I would say there's a demand for turn key solutions.

> Sure the initial set up is difficult. But once it's done, it's done

Are you trying to argue that it could not be made quicker and easier, and that there'd be no benefit to making it quicker and easier?

I think Vim is great and if, as seems the case, a lot of people are put off it because of the large amounts of up-front effort it requires, then anything which helps lessen that initial effort is a good thing in my books.

I think it's a shame that there's often a kinda moralising attitude towards this issue - as if the present level of up-front effort is how things should be, and if, for whatever reason, you aren't prepared to put up with it, then they're not a "Vim person".

Why should I care how many people switch to Vim? Or that some people are put off by the up-front effort you speak off?

Switching from a modern GUI editor to another is easy because they are all more or less the same. Switching from a modern GUI editor to Vim is hard because they are fundamentally different. Why even trying to switch if one doesn't recognize the need to put some effort into it?

> Why should I care how many people switch to Vim?

That's up to you.

I think Vim is more productive, and I'd like to see more people getting that benefit from it.

I think that Vim is more productive too but that's only my opinion and I have no desire to force this opinion on anybody else. If a non-Vimmer is curious I'll happily answer is questions and give her pointers but I'll certainly not be proactive about it. I have no stake in this.

The problem is (at least with Vim), a installer/good default set of plugins and vimrc is VERY subjective.

Myself and 2 other guys from #vim on Freenode tried doing this a few years ago, but it wound up failing because we couldn't decide on that perfect set of stuff to put in it. Perhaps the idea would be more successful if there was only one developer to make decisions, but...

Did you consider using the approach taken by http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/? In that case each chapter was put online as soon as it was written, and then rewritten after taking account of comments. Only when it was finished was the hard copy published.

In the end it made for a far better book, and I believe the author made as much money, possibly even more than if he had followed a more traditional process. In any case I don't suppose you were planning to retire on the proceeds of a book on Vim.

Best of luck, however you choose to write it. I look forward to reading it.

http://designinghypermediaapis.com/

This is one that I bought and enjoy. He also set up a mailing list so readers had a place to discuss.

Love everything about Vim. I found "Vim Essentials" here on HN for free and was mostly bored reading it. This seems a bit more interesting.

How about a promise on the page not to share our email with any third parties?

Will add that soon!

Will you include examples for configuring VIM as a language specific IDE, e.g. for Python or Clojure?

Speaking of Vim, does anyone know when they might release the next version?

Is this going to be in print or just as an ebook?

Just an ebook to start. If there's enough interest, I'll see about doing a print edition.

When do you expect to launch the book?

perhaps a sample chapter? Or details about the author?

Very cool, looking forward to reading.

Can't wait.

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