Ask HN: Would you want a VIM keyboard(cover)?

3 pointsby razerbeansvor 16 Jahren3 comments

For the past couple of weeks I have been working on a prototype for a Vim keyboard that would show the default bindings for keyboard shortcuts on Vim. Having finished the (rough) prototype of the board, I was wondering: How many of you would be interested in getting your hands on something like this? If so, would you prefer a keyboard or keyboard cover? And at what price range?

I was thinking that if there is enough interest in my project, I might just work on talking to some suppliers and getting this out to the public.

Here's a link to my blog post that includes images of the prototype on an apple ultra-thin keyboard: http://blog.razerbeans.com/vim-keyboard-hack

3 comments

tommynazarethvor 16 Jahren

I like the idea, but that thing is way too busy for me. Personally, I find that I internalize editor commands as I start to use them more, and if I don't use them often enough then I just take a minute to look them up.

Good luck, this might be a great product for some people.

philwelchvor 16 Jahren

I learned vim with a cheatsheet either on my desktop background or stapled to the cubicle wall at my desk (depending on where I was at the time), and I'm not inclined to pay more than that for a temporary learning fix.

I'm also skeptical because people who haven't already learned vim are less likely to pay for vim accessories, and people who have already learned vim have less need for this product by definition.

But I'm a cheapass. I would probably prefer a keyboard cover since once I learned vim I'd not need the hints anymore. OTOH, vim is deep and there is lots of vim I don't even know, so I might have a use for a permanent keyboard. But then I could just keep the keyboard cover on, so I'm not sure.

razerbeansvor 16 Jahren

Here's a clickable link: http://blog.razerbeans.com/vim-keyboard-hack