i have sort of done this. the main thing is that the reversed object-verb command model just… latches onto your brain. this is from kakoune of course, but it just makes a lot of sense coming from vimland. multicursor is also nice because it removes some modes, meaning there is less state to keep in your head. finally, the plug-and-play nature of helix means you can have an lsp-enabled environment from the word go, with no configuration.
I switched after development ended on the package manager I was using on neovim. I didn’t at that moment want to simplify my vimconfig, so I looked into helix.
Helix highlights the action you take, so if for example, you are deleting 5 lines, you select the lines first then hit delete. Sometimes the vim actions end up taking fewer keystrokes though. And I still prefer some ways vim does things. And I don’t always agree with the kakoune inspiration of helix (I haven’t used kakoune, just going by what the docs say) - for example, movement always selects text which I then have to unhighlight.
But the biggest reason I stuck to helix was sane LSP defaults out of the box with minimal config. I was tired of having to fix LSP related bugs in my vim config after package updates.
TLDR: saner defaults for helix + lazy to fix my bloated vimconfig.
Immediately after you install helix, you can start working, no config required. It’s really nice.
It also has OOTB LSP, unlike in neovim where you have to setup manually for each installed LSP, helix just detects it. I also personally think it has better keybinds than neovim.
But it still doesn’t have a plugin system, and it’s quite opinionated. They’re both amazing, and great options. Just depends on what you want in an editor; customizability, or do you want it to just work.
Personally, I love to tinker (especially on my main machine) so I don’t mind the complexities of setting up neovim. However, I do mess around with a bunch of servers, and I like to edit code on those servers, meaning I am often installing/compiling neovim and copying over my config before I can get to work.
What I am liking about helix is the idea that its default setup has what I need to get started straight away.
So do i :) but i think helix is especially powerful with nix, for example. instead of having 5 compilers, lsps and such installed, you can create a nix flake for your project and it’ll install all that stuff for you. But for neovim you’d have to manually configure those LSPs in your config, so it is kind of just pointless anyway. But helix automatically loads all your installed LSPs, no config required. I love that about it, but neovim has grown on me.
Plus, helix’s keybinds are amazing, even better than neovims. God i miss it.
Just out of interest, what are the reasons someone would move from neovim to helix?
i have sort of done this. the main thing is that the reversed object-verb command model just… latches onto your brain. this is from kakoune of course, but it just makes a lot of sense coming from vimland. multicursor is also nice because it removes some modes, meaning there is less state to keep in your head. finally, the plug-and-play nature of helix means you can have an lsp-enabled environment from the word go, with no configuration.
That’s a good enough excuse for me to try it! Thanks.
I switched after development ended on the package manager I was using on neovim. I didn’t at that moment want to simplify my vimconfig, so I looked into helix.
Helix highlights the action you take, so if for example, you are deleting 5 lines, you select the lines first then hit delete. Sometimes the vim actions end up taking fewer keystrokes though. And I still prefer some ways vim does things. And I don’t always agree with the kakoune inspiration of helix (I haven’t used kakoune, just going by what the docs say) - for example, movement always selects text which I then have to unhighlight.
But the biggest reason I stuck to helix was sane LSP defaults out of the box with minimal config. I was tired of having to fix LSP related bugs in my vim config after package updates.
TLDR: saner defaults for helix + lazy to fix my bloated vimconfig.
Immediately after you install helix, you can start working, no config required. It’s really nice.
It also has OOTB LSP, unlike in neovim where you have to setup manually for each installed LSP, helix just detects it. I also personally think it has better keybinds than neovim.
But it still doesn’t have a plugin system, and it’s quite opinionated. They’re both amazing, and great options. Just depends on what you want in an editor; customizability, or do you want it to just work.
Personally, I love to tinker (especially on my main machine) so I don’t mind the complexities of setting up neovim. However, I do mess around with a bunch of servers, and I like to edit code on those servers, meaning I am often installing/compiling neovim and copying over my config before I can get to work.
What I am liking about helix is the idea that its default setup has what I need to get started straight away.
I am looking forward to giving helix a go.
So do i :) but i think helix is especially powerful with nix, for example. instead of having 5 compilers, lsps and such installed, you can create a nix flake for your project and it’ll install all that stuff for you. But for neovim you’d have to manually configure those LSPs in your config, so it is kind of just pointless anyway. But helix automatically loads all your installed LSPs, no config required. I love that about it, but neovim has grown on me.
Plus, helix’s keybinds are amazing, even better than neovims. God i miss it.