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Just to add links to the SO surveys mentionned here : - 2019: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019#development-environments-and-tools https://insight

Just to add links to the SO surveys mentionned here : - 2019: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019#development-environments-and-tools https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2019#development-e... - 2018: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018#development-environments-and-tools https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2018#development-e... - 2017: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2017#technology-_-most-popular-developer-environments-by-occupation https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2017#technology-_-... - 2016: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2016#technology-development-environments https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2016#technology-de... - 2015: https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2015#tech-editor https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2015#tech-editor What's really amazing is vscode just appearing out of nowhere (7% in 2016, 35% in 2018). Blindsiding everyone. Cross platform, excellent to good enough UI/UX (very much inspired by Sublime Text but free), easily extensible in a widely available (and widely taught) language. For better or for worse.

coldtea 6y ago
The huge advantage of VSC: plugins can use HTML to implement whatever UI they want, from a workflow tool, to a test tool, to a Git graph view to a debugger data structure visualizer. And all that in widely-known to tons of people HTML/CSS. Never understood why other editors, like ST, didn't give more UI options (checkboxes, buttons, dropdowns, a canvas, etc) to plugin authors. Consider how clunky a lot of plugin interactions with limited UI widgets available to them are. But even if other editors started giving more freedom to design your plugin with more widgets etc, they could never beat the freedom HTML/CSS gives. The second huge advantage of VSC: Microsoft behind it updating it non-stop. TextMate stalled, ST seems abandoned for long stretches of time (and it's not like we "already solved code-editing, what more you want") because of lack of manpower, etc. The third advantage of VSC: first-class support for plugins, with "package manager" and storage built-in: plugin discovery, install, uninstall, enable/disable, configure, are all a click away. ST has this too, but not as refined as VSC, but more like a tacked-on text-based experience. Two more advantages of VSC: - remote development tools (MS). Code in your laptop, run/debug in SSH/Docker/WSL environment. - automatically saved/synced preferences. This came in in this release. I'm not in favor of Electron apps over native. But VSC is really that good.
- pjmlp 6y ago
  It is the only Electron app that I tolerate willingly, but hoping that eventually React Native team at Microsoft will manage to drive a transition, somehow.
- Siira 6y ago
  The last two are more of disadvantages; The remote setup eats a lot of memory from the remote machine, and needs an excellent internet connection, and can't integrate with local editing (You have to use two separate windows, and it's in general nowhere as neat as tramp). The saved prefs are synced without version control, which means you can't really count on them.
ashtonkem 6y ago
I remain utterly perplexed by the popularity of VS Code, to me it basically does nothing well, but does a bunch of things mediocrely.
- dmix 6y ago
  It’s surprisingly easy to grind performance to a halt in VSCode using the extensions (even on a modern machine of course) much like using a browser with extensions (but worse). That said the only reason I use VSCode instead of Vin is when I program in Typescript because the support is outstanding, always cutting edge, and super easy to set up. Code is ideal for frontend js programming in general with lower investment. Similar to how awesome Emacs was for Clojure and Lisps in general. But nothing will peel me away from (neo)Vim for generally everything else. I love how fast, portable, and perfectly customized I’ve made it over the years. The difference with vim vs emacs vs VSCode is probably like the value with the community size and plug-in support. Just like programming languages become great through having great libraries and frameworks and tutorials etc, being popular has tons of value. After simply being good at all the foundational stuff.
  - slightwinder 6y ago
    > It’s surprisingly easy to grind performance to a halt in VSCode using the extensions (even on a modern machine of course) much like using a browser with extensions (but worse). The same is true for emacs, or vim or any other extendable editor. Poor code behaves bad everywhere. But the real surprise is, VS Code usual performance is equal or better than emacs even with an average setup which is still a tad more powerful than whatever emacs offers on a good setup.
- cpach 6y ago
  A product doesn’t need to be excellent to be popular. Take for example McDonald’s or Burger King. You will not get excellence there. But you will consistently get a filling meal to a quite good price. Or take TV-series. They don’t need to be excellent either to get lots of viewers. They just need to be available and entertaining. (I don’t mean this as a critique of VSCode. I have never used it.)
slightwinder 6y ago
VS Code is pretty much the proof that a modern Interface and beginner-friendly customization is the secret of success even for editors. Of course only additional to a solid foundation in terms of ability.

coldtea 6y ago

The huge advantage of VSC: plugins can use HTML to implement whatever UI they want, from a workflow tool, to a test tool, to a Git graph view to a debugger data structure visualizer. And all that in widely-known to tons of people HTML/CSS. Never understood why other editors, like ST, didn't give more UI options (checkboxes, buttons, dropdowns, a canvas, etc) to plugin authors. Consider how clunky a lot of plugin interactions with limited UI widgets available to them are. But even if other editors started giving more freedom to design your plugin with more widgets etc, they could never beat the freedom HTML/CSS gives. The second huge advantage of VSC: Microsoft behind it updating it non-stop. TextMate stalled, ST seems abandoned for long stretches of time (and it's not like we "already solved code-editing, what more you want") because of lack of manpower, etc. The third advantage of VSC: first-class support for plugins, with "package manager" and storage built-in: plugin discovery, install, uninstall, enable/disable, configure, are all a click away. ST has this too, but not as refined as VSC, but more like a tacked-on text-based experience. Two more advantages of VSC: - remote development tools (MS). Code in your laptop, run/debug in SSH/Docker/WSL environment. - automatically saved/synced preferences. This came in in this release. I'm not in favor of Electron apps over native. But VSC is really that good.

pjmlp 6y ago
It is the only Electron app that I tolerate willingly, but hoping that eventually React Native team at Microsoft will manage to drive a transition, somehow.
Siira 6y ago
The last two are more of disadvantages; The remote setup eats a lot of memory from the remote machine, and needs an excellent internet connection, and can't integrate with local editing (You have to use two separate windows, and it's in general nowhere as neat as tramp). The saved prefs are synced without version control, which means you can't really count on them.

ashtonkem 6y ago

I remain utterly perplexed by the popularity of VS Code, to me it basically does nothing well, but does a bunch of things mediocrely.

dmix 6y ago
It’s surprisingly easy to grind performance to a halt in VSCode using the extensions (even on a modern machine of course) much like using a browser with extensions (but worse). That said the only reason I use VSCode instead of Vin is when I program in Typescript because the support is outstanding, always cutting edge, and super easy to set up. Code is ideal for frontend js programming in general with lower investment. Similar to how awesome Emacs was for Clojure and Lisps in general. But nothing will peel me away from (neo)Vim for generally everything else. I love how fast, portable, and perfectly customized I’ve made it over the years. The difference with vim vs emacs vs VSCode is probably like the value with the community size and plug-in support. Just like programming languages become great through having great libraries and frameworks and tutorials etc, being popular has tons of value. After simply being good at all the foundational stuff.
- slightwinder 6y ago
  > It’s surprisingly easy to grind performance to a halt in VSCode using the extensions (even on a modern machine of course) much like using a browser with extensions (but worse). The same is true for emacs, or vim or any other extendable editor. Poor code behaves bad everywhere. But the real surprise is, VS Code usual performance is equal or better than emacs even with an average setup which is still a tad more powerful than whatever emacs offers on a good setup.
cpach 6y ago
A product doesn’t need to be excellent to be popular. Take for example McDonald’s or Burger King. You will not get excellence there. But you will consistently get a filling meal to a quite good price. Or take TV-series. They don’t need to be excellent either to get lots of viewers. They just need to be available and entertaining. (I don’t mean this as a critique of VSCode. I have never used it.)

slightwinder 6y ago

VS Code is pretty much the proof that a modern Interface and beginner-friendly customization is the secret of success even for editors. Of course only additional to a solid foundation in terms of ability.