Hacker News Reader

Comment by netshade | Hacker News Reader

I'm an Emacs -> VS Code -> Helix convert, have enjoyed using it thus far. I've tried to internalize all the existing keybindings and use thus far rather than configuring it much ( I've wanted to have the least amount of config necessary to be effective with it )

One thing I've struggled with is simply remembering everything it can do. I made a Desktop Mat[0] to help remind me ( literally just finished it so will see how helpful it is when the printed version arrives ).

[0] https://git.sr.ht/~netshade/helix-deskmat

View on HN

For how long have you been using Emacs before?

I was an Emacs user for about 3-4 years. I never felt very proficient in it, I always felt like I was cargo culting in config changes that I never felt comfortable with. I liked the power, but never graduated to the point where it felt like it was working with me. AFA why I didn't switch to Vim, there was enough "Vim is great with a great config" which felt so similar to the situation I was already in with Emacs that I just wasn't convinced. Not the greatest rationale, but that's what it was.

Were you vanilla or some prebuilt configuration like Doom? I started by copying someone's (vanilla) config and get everything that felt right for me. Then I went on to other people's config (also vanilla) to get what they have that was different and the rationale behind it.

I'm still editing my config every now and then, but mostly smoothing out interactions with the software. Latest was configuring magit to have a speedier interaction by removing some stuff I don't care about.

Started vanilla and importing things like projectile, magit, all of that. I didn't like the awkward edges of how they joined tho, and eventually tried switching to Spacemacs with "less" of my own config. None of it was awful, but none of it felt great.

When VSCode came about and had great integration for a language I was primarily using at the time ( Typescript ) I switched to that and was happy for the comparatively low config required. My Helix switch came about just because of how VSCode absolutely chewed through battery usage when I was out and about.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com