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If I were them, I think I would try really hard to build a low-effort conversion process for VSCode extensions. If they can do that in such a way that the top X

If I were them, I think I would try really hard to build a low-effort conversion process for VSCode extensions. If they can do that in such a way that the top XXX VSCode extensions could be used with a good experience in Nova and fix the couple of non-plugin gripes you mention, I think they've probably bested the VSCode experience for enough people to make it profitable. I am not sure if I am pessimistic enough to call that "years" once they've got that migration path planned. If they're not planning something like it, though, then I think I agree with you.

jamil7 6y ago
I was impressed with the way that oni2 did this, any vscode extension is a valid oni2 extension. I ended up sticking with neovim for the time being but I feel something similar could work for nova’s benefit.
rictic 6y ago
Microsoft has opened the protocol with which most extensions are written: https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/ https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/ It's a really high quality protocol, and supporting it gets you 95% of the way to supporting dozens of languages (only remaining work is coordinating launching the language server and connecting it to the editor, usually <100 lines of code).
- orf 6y ago
  LSP isn’t “most plugins” though. There are tens of thousands of useful plugins, and only a tiny subset of those add support for new languages.
  - IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
    True... But weighted by importance and effort, LSP-powered plugins are likely above-average, probably by a healthy margin.
    - orf 6y ago
      Highly disagree. Having support for “python” is good, but useless without support for the ecosystem (poetry, pipenv, requirements.txt, virtualenvs, pytest, a REPL, Django-specific stuff, etc). Languages are important, but I wouldn’t say they are ahead by a large degree.
- chipotle_coyote 6y ago
  Nova supports LSP, actually. As orf notes in the other reply to you, that only covers, well, plugins that involve language servers. :)
  - Nextgrid 6y ago
    How does it? I wanted to try it for Python but I don't see how I can just configure it to talk to a language server.
    - chipotle_coyote 6y ago
      That is somewhat above my pay grade, so to speak, but I imagine that you would need to write a plugin that talks to a language server (I think this is true for Code and other LSP-aware editors, too). You'd probably start by checking "show extension development items in the Extensions menu," then select "Create New Extension..." in that menu and choose "Language Server Extension" in the pane that comes up next. That looks like it creates a skeleton extension for you with the basic details filled in.

jamil7 6y ago

I was impressed with the way that oni2 did this, any vscode extension is a valid oni2 extension. I ended up sticking with neovim for the time being but I feel something similar could work for nova’s benefit.

rictic 6y ago

Microsoft has opened the protocol with which most extensions are written: https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/ https://microsoft.github.io/language-server-protocol/ It's a really high quality protocol, and supporting it gets you 95% of the way to supporting dozens of languages (only remaining work is coordinating launching the language server and connecting it to the editor, usually <100 lines of code).

orf 6y ago
LSP isn’t “most plugins” though. There are tens of thousands of useful plugins, and only a tiny subset of those add support for new languages.
- IfOnlyYouKnew 6y ago
  True... But weighted by importance and effort, LSP-powered plugins are likely above-average, probably by a healthy margin.
  - orf 6y ago
    Highly disagree. Having support for “python” is good, but useless without support for the ecosystem (poetry, pipenv, requirements.txt, virtualenvs, pytest, a REPL, Django-specific stuff, etc). Languages are important, but I wouldn’t say they are ahead by a large degree.
chipotle_coyote 6y ago
Nova supports LSP, actually. As orf notes in the other reply to you, that only covers, well, plugins that involve language servers. :)
- Nextgrid 6y ago
  How does it? I wanted to try it for Python but I don't see how I can just configure it to talk to a language server.
  - chipotle_coyote 6y ago
    That is somewhat above my pay grade, so to speak, but I imagine that you would need to write a plugin that talks to a language server (I think this is true for Code and other LSP-aware editors, too). You'd probably start by checking "show extension development items in the Extensions menu," then select "Create New Extension..." in that menu and choose "Language Server Extension" in the pane that comes up next. That looks like it creates a skeleton extension for you with the basic details filled in.