On: A Good Vimrc

[uniqueusername1]

Why not check for file existance, instead of try-catch:

  if filereadable(expand("~/.vimlocal"))
      source ~/.vimlocal
  endif

[dllthomas → uniqueusername1]

I've no strong objection to that - it's racy but not in any way that probably matters. Otherwise, it's mostly just a question of forgiveness vs permission...