[teo_zero]

> I tried remapping the keys. Not only was that impossible (circular dependencies)

I don't get this. To swap x and y is easy:

  noremap x y
  noremap y x

Of course you can't do it with map, that's why noremap exists.

[thomastjeffery]

Believe me, I have tried. It's been a while, or I would tell you precisely what went wrong. Suffice it to say, I did not give up easily.

Even if it did work, I wouldn't have the conceptual map that Vim's UX is made of. Without that, it's just not going to be a positive experience.