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I'm an old gun (learned to program in Fortran in 1977), and I recommend giving VScode a try. Its barrier to entry is very low, so you don't need to invest a lo

I'm an old gun (learned to program in Fortran in 1977), and I recommend giving VScode a try. Its barrier to entry is very low, so you don't need to invest a lot of time to find out whether it's going to be productive for you. It's a real usability jump over older IDEs. I've switched from a combo of, mostly, Intellij IDEA and Vim to almost exclusively VScode (for development). I do still use Spacemacs just for org mode. > my vim memory There are vim compatibility plugins for VScode. > fully embrace libre route VScode is open source and MIT licensed, here's the repo: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode https://github.com/microsoft/vscode Someone would need to explain to me what values I'm forgoing in order to use this. Although I should warn that someone I'm likely to have a strong rebuttal.

nitsky 6y ago
The default builds of vscode include telemetry and a non-free license. For a truly free build of vscode, you need to use vscodium. See their description: https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium#why-does-this-exist https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium#why-does-this-exist. I suspect many developers are unaware of this.
- opencl 6y ago
  The most important practical detail here is that if you run vscodium, or download and build the vscode repo from microsoft yourself, or use any forks of vscode, you cannot install any of the extensions hosted on microsoft's servers without violating their license terms. There are alternative extension marketplaces such as https://open-vsx.org/ https://open-vsx.org/ but they are missing a lot of the extensions, some of which are proprietary.
  - bobajeff 6y ago
    The vscode marketplace also provides a link to download extensions as a vsix file on every extension page. So if the extension isn't on open-vsx I just download it directly and install it.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- antonvs 6y ago
  That's true, although anyone who cares about truly free software presumably would look into the details to check. You can disable the telemetry: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq#_how-to-disable-telemetry-reporting https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq#_how-to-di... My point was really that it's free and open enough for any practical purpose I'm able to discern. Refusing to use it on the grounds of insufficient openness or freedom seems to me to require an unreasonably absolutist ideological stance on the issue.

nitsky 6y ago

The default builds of vscode include telemetry and a non-free license. For a truly free build of vscode, you need to use vscodium. See their description: https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium#why-does-this-exist https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium#why-does-this-exist. I suspect many developers are unaware of this.

opencl 6y ago
The most important practical detail here is that if you run vscodium, or download and build the vscode repo from microsoft yourself, or use any forks of vscode, you cannot install any of the extensions hosted on microsoft's servers without violating their license terms. There are alternative extension marketplaces such as https://open-vsx.org/ https://open-vsx.org/ but they are missing a lot of the extensions, some of which are proprietary.
- bobajeff 6y ago
  The vscode marketplace also provides a link to download extensions as a vsix file on every extension page. So if the extension isn't on open-vsx I just download it directly and install it.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
antonvs 6y ago
That's true, although anyone who cares about truly free software presumably would look into the details to check. You can disable the telemetry: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq#_how-to-disable-telemetry-reporting https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq#_how-to-di... My point was really that it's free and open enough for any practical purpose I'm able to discern. Refusing to use it on the grounds of insufficient openness or freedom seems to me to require an unreasonably absolutist ideological stance on the issue.