chapters/00.markdown @ 04ff1cf8d752

Prerequisites
=============

To use this book you should have the latest version of Vim installed, which is
version 7.3 at the time of this writing.  New versions of Vim are almost always
backwards-compatible, so everything in this book should work just fine with
newer versions.

You should be comfortable editing files in Vim.  You should know basic Vim
terminology like "buffer", "window", "normal mode", "insert mode" and "text
object".

If you're not at that point yet go through the `vimtutor` program, use Vim
exclusively for a month or two, and come back when you've got Vim burned into
your fingers.

You should have some programming experience.  If you've never programmed before
check out [Learn Python the Hard Way](http://learnpythonthehardway.org/) first.

Creating a Vimrc File
---------------------

If you already know what a vimrc file is and have one, go on to the next
chapter.

A vimrc file is a file you create that contains some Vimscript code.  Vim will
automatically run the code inside this file every time you open Vim.

On Linux and Mac OS X this file is located in your home directory and named
`.vimrc`.

On Windows this file is located in your home folder and named `_vimrc`.

To easily find the location and name of the file on *any* operating system, run
`:echo $MYVIMRC` in Vim.  The path will be displayed at the bottom of the
screen.

Create this file if it doesn't already exist.