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Session 03

Topic 1: Interfaces

  • terminal
  • SSH
  • Zsh
  • editors 👈
  • Git
  • AI

Today

Editors

  1. VS Code
  2. Vim keybindings

Why editors matter

Your editor is your workplace

  • you spend hours/day inside it
  • editing ≠ typing → navigation, refactoring, thinking
  • small frictions → big productivity loss
  • a good editor setup results in fewer bugs, faster thinking

→ the editor shapes how you think, debug, and experiment 🧪

What makes a “good” editor?

  • syntax, structure awareness 🎨
  • fast navigation, search 🧭
  • integrated tools (terminal, debugger, Git) ⚡
  • extensible, customizable ⚙️

VS Code

Why VS Code stands out

  • cross-platform
  • large extension ecosystem
  • has extensions for most languages
    (Python, C/C++, Go, …)
  • SSH & remote development (via extension)
  • Git integration

—

→ probably the most popular editor
… it is also owned by Microsoft

VS Code productivity shortcuts

wiki → VS Code

Hands-on
  • Ctrl+p — jump to any file
  • Ctrl+Shift+p — command palette
  • multi-cursor editing (Alt+Click)
  • integrated terminal

VS Code with SSH

  • Remote-SSH extension: edit code on the cluster
  • same GUI, same shortcuts
  • debug locally, run remotely
Hands-on

connect VS Code via SSH to Matrix

Vim editor

Vim - why bother?

💬

Brilliant keybindings

  • when coding, typing text happens rarely … but
  • browsing, inspecting, and modifying happens often
  • using only the keyboard is the key to efficiency
  • Vim let’s us edit code at the speed of thought

Vim works everywhere

  • no installation: it comes with the 🐧 OS
  • runs everywhere: laptop, SSH, remote data centers
  • BYO Vim config: just copy ~/.vimrc file elsewhere
  • instant startup, zero GUI dependencies
  • themes, plugins

→ frictionless editing in the terminal

Edit at the speed of thought

🧠 → ⌨️

  • Vim is a “language for editing”
  • modal editing: different modes for different intentions
  • operator + motion model: “what you do + where”
  • don’t move the cursor to edit, describe the edit
Example
dw     → delete "d" + word "w"
ci(    → change "c" + inside parentheses "i("
yip    → yank/copy "y" + an entire paragraph "ip"

Vim configuration

wiki → Vim → Configuration

vim wiki/vim.md  # to quit Vim, type: ":q" <Enter>
Hands-on (on Matrix)
vim ~/.vimrc  # switch mode: "i" (insert mode)
              # type text as usual
              # switch back: <Esc> (insert to normal mode)

Vim commands

Vim has modes:

  • Normal → navigate & issue commands
  • Insert → type text
  • Visual → select text
  • Command → save, quit, search, …

Vim in 60 seconds

# Typing: Normal mode → Insert mode → Normal mode
i     → enter Insert mode, then type
Esc   → back to Normal mode

# Move around (in Normal mode)
h     → left
j     → down
k     → up
l     → right

# Save & quit commands (in Normal mode)
:w    → save
:q    → quit
:wq   → save and quit
:q!   → quit without saving

What you can learn today (wiki → Vim)

  • w , b , e — three kinds of word-wise movement
  • gg or G — go to the top or bottom of a file
  • { or } — paragraph jumps (forward or backward)
Editing
  • ci" or ci( — change inside quotes or parentheses
  • . — repeat last change
  • u — undo
  • Ctrl-r — redo

Hands-on using the Vim graphical cheat sheet

  • copy, delete, paste
  • visual mode
  • repeat, undo
  • search
  • indentation

Key takeaways

  • editors are force multipliers ⚡
  • invest early in editor skills – the payoff compounds for years

Vim

  • stay on the “home row” ⌨️
  • speed comes from composability – not shortcuts 🧩
  • broader picture: Vim keybindings are universal 🌍
    → use inside any IDE (VS Code) / Email client / …

Looking ahead

  • version control is all you need to avoid code chaos
  • Git – move fast without loosing trust in your work
  • safe experimentation and collaboration

Prepare for the next session 🌱

sessions/04-todo