I’ve been doing a bit of bash scripting lately. Anyone who is interrested in bash scripting should also have a look at the “bash support” vim script http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=365. A fair amount of the addons are aimed at a gui usage (like gvim), but even if you are a console user like me, it adds enough features to be worth while. After using it for a few days you get addicted to the neat features, scripting in a vim without it is like typing with your nose. It’s not impossible, but you aren’t having much fun either.