4 ms·

Yes, but what happens when development on this closed source editor dries up? It looks like a great app, but I'm still leery of basing something as important a

by mdp 15y ago

Yes, but what happens when development on this closed source editor dries up? It looks like a great app, but I'm still leery of basing something as important as my editor on a closed code base again. There are also some great alternatives out there, notably Redcar, which is both open and full of Textmate like features.

tjogin 15y ago
If you are capable of switching editors, what does it matter if it's closed source or not? This adversity to switching editors is a common trait in programmers I can't quite understand. We programmers learn new things all the time, it's part of what makes us excel in our profession. And yet, adopting a new editor is apparently extremely hard.
- mdp 15y ago
  Yes, but I'm extremely lazy :) The less time I spend learning a new editor is more time I can spend learning a new technology.
- ilikepi 15y ago
  Perhaps it feels extremely hard because a preferred programming environment is so deeply tied to muscle memory via key bindings (which, admittedly, Vico is trying to address for vi users), whereas learning other new things engages other more flexible parts of the brain.
- thirtyseven 15y ago
  Because learning new editors takes away from time we could be coding.
  - jsprinkles 15y ago
    Learning new tools to use, new techniques to employ, new languages to express yourself, new environments to deploy in, new projects to hack on ... and for devops, new daemons to configure, new setups to benchmark ... these are the vast majority of a working programmer's time so switching editors is trivial in comparison. Arguing against something because it takes away coding time is a sign that you probably need to broaden your experience.
    - defroost 15y ago
      I am primarily a Textmate user as I do a lot of Ruby, Rails, and web work, but a while back when I started learning Lisp I felt compelled to use Emacs. I was some of the most fun I've ever had. And I would contend that extending, customizing Emacs with .el files is a form of coding.

by mdp 15y ago

tjogin 15y ago

If you are capable of switching editors, what does it matter if it's closed source or not? This adversity to switching editors is a common trait in programmers I can't quite understand. We programmers learn new things all the time, it's part of what makes us excel in our profession. And yet, adopting a new editor is apparently extremely hard.

mdp 15y ago
Yes, but I'm extremely lazy :) The less time I spend learning a new editor is more time I can spend learning a new technology.
ilikepi 15y ago
Perhaps it feels extremely hard because a preferred programming environment is so deeply tied to muscle memory via key bindings (which, admittedly, Vico is trying to address for vi users), whereas learning other new things engages other more flexible parts of the brain.
thirtyseven 15y ago
Because learning new editors takes away from time we could be coding.
- jsprinkles 15y ago
  Learning new tools to use, new techniques to employ, new languages to express yourself, new environments to deploy in, new projects to hack on ... and for devops, new daemons to configure, new setups to benchmark ... these are the vast majority of a working programmer's time so switching editors is trivial in comparison. Arguing against something because it takes away coding time is a sign that you probably need to broaden your experience.
  - defroost 15y ago
    I am primarily a Textmate user as I do a lot of Ruby, Rails, and web work, but a while back when I started learning Lisp I felt compelled to use Emacs. I was some of the most fun I've ever had. And I would contend that extending, customizing Emacs with .el files is a form of coding.