I always choose hardcover. I try to keep the number of my owned physical books low. So when I do buy it, I want my eyes to be satisfied and they prefer the looks of hardcover. Since I usually buy secondhand books, overall it’s very cheap (although I don’t have high standards on the book’s condition).
There is no sense of pride. Every text/code editor has key combinations that many users will learn eventually. Vim has easier key bindings.