diff --git a/.vimrc b/.vimrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c5c65b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vimrc
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+" vim configuration file
+
+" you will need to put 'set exrc' and 'set secure' into your main .vimrc file,
+" in which case this file will be loaded automatically, but *only* if you
+" start vim in this dir, or you can just load it directly with ':so .vimrc'
+" every time.
+set tabstop=4
+set shiftwidth=4
+set expandtab