10 ms·

I have been using VS Code as my full-time editor for a few months now and couldn't be happier. Originally I was only using it for TypeScript projects, where the

by tomdale 10y ago

I have been using VS Code as my full-time editor for a few months now and couldn't be happier. Originally I was only using it for TypeScript projects, where the language integration is top-notch, but eventually found myself using it all the time. I use the vim plugin, which is surprisingly good although it does have a few issues still. The best thing about VS Code (and Microsoft's other big open source project, TypeScript) is the steady stream of releases. Because of the regular release cadence, small but important improvements never get blocked by some big feature that took longer than anticipated. As much as I wouldn't have believed this 10 years ago, Microsoft does open source better than almost everyone. VS Code: developed on GitHub, written in TypeScript, great extension API, clear roadmap and regular releases. I am a very happy user.

ake1 10y ago
i install every new release of vscode because i think it has the potential to become a good editor but the vim plugins are still far from good enough for me to use on a regular basis.
- johnfn 10y ago
  Hi! I'm one of the developers of VSCodeVim, and I'd really like to know about the particular pain points you're running into when you're trying to use the extension. You can tell me here or open up issues on github - https://github.com/VSCodeVim/Vim/issues https://github.com/VSCodeVim/Vim/issues - whichever you prefer.
k__ 10y ago
Yes. When they delayed the tabs I was a bit bummed, but then the next release with the tabs came so fast, I found it funny that they even mentioned delaying them.
david-given 10y ago
I'm currently switching from gvim to vscode and back again every five minutes, in order to use vscode's debugger --- it's gdb integration is the best I've seen bar none [1][2]. If the vim emulation was good enough, I'd switch in a moment. Which, unfortunately, it's not, for me: the biggest omission is shift-Y/shift-P for yank and paste, which I use constantly, but there's holes everywhere. (Also, the way the vscode's autopopup thingy grabs the escape key is really annoying, but I'm sure that's configurable.) Two minor nitpicks: [1] I haven't figured out how to make the debugger show a pointer as an array yet. [2] I used to use ddd. By modern standards it's pretty rough, but it's data visualiser was unparalleled brilliance. (It allowed you to lay out structures on a canvas as boxes with arrows representing pointers.) I'd love to see that in vscode.
- Cyph0n 10y ago
  Damn, seriously? I'm going to be writing some C++ soon, and I'm also planning to learn gdb, so I guess VS Code it is then. Thanks for the heads up!
  - steveklabnik 10y ago
    There's also a brand-new lldb plugin too https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vadimcn.vscode-lldb https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vadimcn....
    - Cyph0n 10y ago
      Which would you recommend I start with as a newcomer to the low-level debugging world - gdb or lldb? I have some experience debugging assembly in x86 real mode (yep, my class was outdated!).
      - steveklabnik 10y ago
        I personally don't have enough direct experience with lldb to say. I've heard good things. It's on my list of stuff to try out.
      - pYQAJ6Zm 10y ago
        I have little experience with both, but the developers of LLDB have a goal of making more informative error messages. This was successful enough that GDB devs were compelled to mimic this behavior, making their error reporting more accessible. As far as I know, LLDB still has the advantage in this regard.
        badlogic 10y ago
        You must be confusing LLDB/GDB with Clang/GCC. LLDB and GDB are debuggers, they generally do not produce many error messages. Clang has/had better error messages than GCC.
eknkc 10y ago
It's indeed a fantastic editor. Replaced Sublime for me and I couldn't be happier.
- hockeybias 10y ago
  Ditto!
steveklabnik 10y ago
They've been making so much progress on the vim plugin. I was recently at a conference, and was talking to someone who works on Code. The conversation went something like this: Me: "I wanted to use Code, but the vim integration wasn't good enough." Her: "Oh yeah? What issues did you have, specifically?" Me: "Let me just reinstall real quick and I'll show you." Me: "... okay yeah this just works now. Awesome."
- tomdale 10y ago
  Most "vim emulation" plugins suck, because the vim way of thinking about things is so different from the typical GUI editor. Because of this, extension APIs often have to be wildly abused just to get even moderately decent parity with vim. Bugs and inconsistencies abound and are often impossible for the plugin author to fix. That's why it's been extremely heartening to see releases of VS Code that explicitly add extension points to enable features for the vim plugin[1]. It's not perfect now, but given that the VS Code team seems to be making it their mission to offer an extension API robust enough to make it perfect, I'm willing to deal with the quirks for now. [1]: https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_5#_extension-authoring https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_5#_extension-author...
hiou 10y ago
Is this like an advertisement? If not you should definitely looking into a possible side career writing advertising copy for developers.
- hiou 10y ago
  Just to clarify this. I really meant this in a positive way. It made me think about giving it a try which is kind of insane since I'm a very very devoted (n)vi[m] user.
mattetti 10y ago
Same as Tom for both TypeScript and Go. Can't be happier (I don't use the vim plugin tho, even tho I was a vim user for many years)
vonklaus 10y ago
I agree, and like a child comment here, used to switch back and forth between other editors(sublime, atom) and Microsofts push to win developers is working. Huge swathes of code released, azure implementing innovative things around blockchain-- not to mention the linux offerings & other oss plugins. Even porting out powershell as well as bash integration, chakra ect. To touch on the parebt comment, the vscode editor is one of the MS products i use most often and am most familiar with. The release cadence; compared to the very similar Atom editor, is much different in philosophy. Atom was first(i think it even came out before vscode) to have all of the features desired in aneditor. They came at the high price of horrible petformance and a wildly unstable product. Vscode team knew everyone wanted tabs, but they worked releasing tons of things in parrallel and rolled tabs out when they worked properly. I wouldnt say MS has won my trust, but this product has. I trust the editor will behave as expected and continue to offer awesome plugins and a greT ecperience. I can't afford to have my editor lag snd crash, as well as overwrite or delete data. Vscode is pretty great and has virtually everything I need with only very minor things.
dyu- 10y ago
"As much as I wouldn't have believed this 10 years ago, Microsoft does open source better than almost everyone." This. They are treating vscode like its a core (cash cow) product. I'd say google embraced/adopted open source early on and now microsoft is playing catchup while now becoming one of the very best to do it.
- happy-go-lucky 10y ago
  I see Microsoft's open source efforts as a means to an end.
  - nikbackm 10y ago
    As opposed to all other companies that do open source for purely altruistic reasons?
  - taneq 10y ago
    Name one entity whose open source efforts are not a means to an end. Even OSS nuts like Stallman have their motivations (in his case, furthering his ideology). That doesn't invalidate their contributions.
    - skoczymroczny 10y ago
      Stallman is FOSS, not OSS.
      - mikegerwitz 10y ago
        rms "is" Free Software. FLOSS if you want to be neutral. Not FOSS: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/floss-and-foss.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/floss-and-foss.html
markatkinson 10y ago
Man oh man, as a long time Sublime user I downloaded it just out of curiosity and really not expecting to switch. Now its a few months down the line and its the only text editor I use, and once a month I see a new release at the top of HN and get excited. It is one of the few things where I actually read all the release notes. I feel like a fan boy.

by tomdale 10y ago

ake1 10y ago

i install every new release of vscode because i think it has the potential to become a good editor but the vim plugins are still far from good enough for me to use on a regular basis.

johnfn 10y ago
Hi! I'm one of the developers of VSCodeVim, and I'd really like to know about the particular pain points you're running into when you're trying to use the extension. You can tell me here or open up issues on github - https://github.com/VSCodeVim/Vim/issues https://github.com/VSCodeVim/Vim/issues - whichever you prefer.

k__ 10y ago

Yes. When they delayed the tabs I was a bit bummed, but then the next release with the tabs came so fast, I found it funny that they even mentioned delaying them.

david-given 10y ago

I'm currently switching from gvim to vscode and back again every five minutes, in order to use vscode's debugger --- it's gdb integration is the best I've seen bar none [1][2]. If the vim emulation was good enough, I'd switch in a moment. Which, unfortunately, it's not, for me: the biggest omission is shift-Y/shift-P for yank and paste, which I use constantly, but there's holes everywhere. (Also, the way the vscode's autopopup thingy grabs the escape key is really annoying, but I'm sure that's configurable.) Two minor nitpicks: [1] I haven't figured out how to make the debugger show a pointer as an array yet. [2] I used to use ddd. By modern standards it's pretty rough, but it's data visualiser was unparalleled brilliance. (It allowed you to lay out structures on a canvas as boxes with arrows representing pointers.) I'd love to see that in vscode.

Cyph0n 10y ago
Damn, seriously? I'm going to be writing some C++ soon, and I'm also planning to learn gdb, so I guess VS Code it is then. Thanks for the heads up!
- steveklabnik 10y ago
  There's also a brand-new lldb plugin too https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vadimcn.vscode-lldb https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vadimcn....
  - Cyph0n 10y ago
    Which would you recommend I start with as a newcomer to the low-level debugging world - gdb or lldb? I have some experience debugging assembly in x86 real mode (yep, my class was outdated!).
    - steveklabnik 10y ago
      I personally don't have enough direct experience with lldb to say. I've heard good things. It's on my list of stuff to try out.
    - pYQAJ6Zm 10y ago
      I have little experience with both, but the developers of LLDB have a goal of making more informative error messages. This was successful enough that GDB devs were compelled to mimic this behavior, making their error reporting more accessible. As far as I know, LLDB still has the advantage in this regard.
      - badlogic 10y ago
        You must be confusing LLDB/GDB with Clang/GCC. LLDB and GDB are debuggers, they generally do not produce many error messages. Clang has/had better error messages than GCC.

eknkc 10y ago

It's indeed a fantastic editor. Replaced Sublime for me and I couldn't be happier.

hockeybias 10y ago
Ditto!

steveklabnik 10y ago

They've been making so much progress on the vim plugin. I was recently at a conference, and was talking to someone who works on Code. The conversation went something like this: Me: "I wanted to use Code, but the vim integration wasn't good enough." Her: "Oh yeah? What issues did you have, specifically?" Me: "Let me just reinstall real quick and I'll show you." Me: "... okay yeah this just works now. Awesome."

tomdale 10y ago
Most "vim emulation" plugins suck, because the vim way of thinking about things is so different from the typical GUI editor. Because of this, extension APIs often have to be wildly abused just to get even moderately decent parity with vim. Bugs and inconsistencies abound and are often impossible for the plugin author to fix. That's why it's been extremely heartening to see releases of VS Code that explicitly add extension points to enable features for the vim plugin[1]. It's not perfect now, but given that the VS Code team seems to be making it their mission to offer an extension API robust enough to make it perfect, I'm willing to deal with the quirks for now. [1]: https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_5#_extension-authoring https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_5#_extension-author...

hiou 10y ago

Is this like an advertisement? If not you should definitely looking into a possible side career writing advertising copy for developers.

hiou 10y ago
Just to clarify this. I really meant this in a positive way. It made me think about giving it a try which is kind of insane since I'm a very very devoted (n)vi[m] user.

mattetti 10y ago

Same as Tom for both TypeScript and Go. Can't be happier (I don't use the vim plugin tho, even tho I was a vim user for many years)

vonklaus 10y ago

I agree, and like a child comment here, used to switch back and forth between other editors(sublime, atom) and Microsofts push to win developers is working. Huge swathes of code released, azure implementing innovative things around blockchain-- not to mention the linux offerings & other oss plugins. Even porting out powershell as well as bash integration, chakra ect. To touch on the parebt comment, the vscode editor is one of the MS products i use most often and am most familiar with. The release cadence; compared to the very similar Atom editor, is much different in philosophy. Atom was first(i think it even came out before vscode) to have all of the features desired in aneditor. They came at the high price of horrible petformance and a wildly unstable product. Vscode team knew everyone wanted tabs, but they worked releasing tons of things in parrallel and rolled tabs out when they worked properly. I wouldnt say MS has won my trust, but this product has. I trust the editor will behave as expected and continue to offer awesome plugins and a greT ecperience. I can't afford to have my editor lag snd crash, as well as overwrite or delete data. Vscode is pretty great and has virtually everything I need with only very minor things.

dyu- 10y ago

"As much as I wouldn't have believed this 10 years ago, Microsoft does open source better than almost everyone." This. They are treating vscode like its a core (cash cow) product. I'd say google embraced/adopted open source early on and now microsoft is playing catchup while now becoming one of the very best to do it.

happy-go-lucky 10y ago
I see Microsoft's open source efforts as a means to an end.
- nikbackm 10y ago
  As opposed to all other companies that do open source for purely altruistic reasons?
- taneq 10y ago
  Name one entity whose open source efforts are not a means to an end. Even OSS nuts like Stallman have their motivations (in his case, furthering his ideology). That doesn't invalidate their contributions.
  - skoczymroczny 10y ago
    Stallman is FOSS, not OSS.
    - mikegerwitz 10y ago
      rms "is" Free Software. FLOSS if you want to be neutral. Not FOSS: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/floss-and-foss.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/floss-and-foss.html

markatkinson 10y ago

Man oh man, as a long time Sublime user I downloaded it just out of curiosity and really not expecting to switch. Now its a few months down the line and its the only text editor I use, and once a month I see a new release at the top of HN and get excited. It is one of the few things where I actually read all the release notes. I feel like a fan boy.