> Also, I think the true benefit of an optimized text editor isn't in raw time savings but in increased flow and just the joy of having a tool that feels like the extension of your mind, rather than something your mind works around.

My thoughts exactly (although mine might not have been worded that well :) ).

Vim-bindings are like a REPL, but on a different level. If you compare a REPL to a loop of "save, compile, run, enter passwords, wait for a specific event to trigger", you might get a grasp of what a Vim-enthusiast gets out of the editor. They've fixed the thing to fix and moved on while you're still trying to find out where your mouse movement went.

That might sound a bit exaggerated, but for the skeptics, I propose an experiment: Switch your keyboard to a different language (say Turkish, if you're very brave) and try to code for a couple of minutes. I do that regularly (my colleagues don't use the same layout as me), and I'd wager it's about the same level of annoyance as not being able to use Vim-bindings if you're used to them.

I'm not saying that there aren't other effective ways of editing text, I'm merely finding that the defaults aren't very good.