In some instances you may find that the default configuration of VIM has the backspace key disabled. Like many others I expect to be able to delete characters right-to-left like most other text editors. Unless you are doing some very minor editing, it quickly becomes a hassle to use the delete key.
Luckily there is a quick fix. Add the following line to the .vimrc configuration file in your home directory:
set backspace=indent,eol,start
You can change for all users by placing this previous line in the /etc/vimrc configuration file.