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What surprises me is that VSCode is used more than VS for C++. I would have guessed people would go for the "full fledged IDE" for the kind of projects that req

What surprises me is that VSCode is used more than VS for C++. I would have guessed people would go for the "full fledged IDE" for the kind of projects that require C++. Overnight VSCode has become the one size fit all for everything.

Jtsummers 5y ago
VSCode is multiplatform. It runs on Linux and macOS as well as Windows which expands its applicability and availability greatly compared to Visual Studio proper.
exdsq 5y ago
I would use VS if I was on Windows, but I'm on Linux (specifically a Ubuntu distro on a chromebook) where I need something lightweight (and cross-platform).
frabert 5y ago
In my experience, VSCode + clangd works better than full VS for most projects
- Flex247A 5y ago
  Even Sublime Text 4 is pretty good, if you install the LSP plugin.
ant6n 5y ago
VSCode is kind of nice, but those keybindings are very confusing and opiniated. And if you install an extension to get the bindings you're used to (vim/emacs), it gets even more confusing as the extension and VSCode start digging each other.
- sgerenser 5y ago
  Aren’t VSCode keybindings fully configurable?
  - ant6n 5y ago
    Yes, even depending on context. You can spend days playing with the configs and not even scratch the surface. And coming up with a sane keybinding for an IDE is huge project, if not a job. ...I feel like back when working with XCode, stuff just sort of worked.
runnerup 5y ago
I wonder how much selection/sampling bias there is. It’s probably a lot easier for JetBrains to publicize this to people who are more likely to use JetBrains software. People who use CLion/PyCharm, may be much less likely to use Visual Studio. The Embedded section has no usage listed at all for Keil uVision or STMcube. That’s quite strange to me — not that they would be some small fraction, but that they would be entirely absent.
darknavi 5y ago
This question lines up with my experience: "Which IDE / editor do you use the most for C++ development?" I'm in gaming and I wish our codebase would reasonable work within VS Code but VS2019's tools just feel more "firm". I use VS Code on smaller side projects though. It's much lighter.
brundolf 5y ago
I think people don't realize what VSCode really is: it's Microsoft's opportunity to do a "visual studio reboot". They get to start over fresh, with all the lessons they've learned over the years, without any tech (or UX) debt, and innovate rapidly without disrupting established VS customers. Being "just an editor" was just a way to stealthily get its foot in the door. VSCode is already very much a full IDE for some languages, and the list is growing.
- blub 5y ago
  VS reboot is probably how they sold it internally, but it really really is Microsoft's way of saying "don't look at our Windows spyware and other nasty things we do which actually matter in the real world, look at this cool open source project!".
  - skocznymroczny 5y ago
    One man's spyware is another man's telemetry
    - dvfjsdhgfv 5y ago
      Why not both? I don't think anybody disagrees with the idea that telemetry is useful, and that there are genuine reasons to implement it in VScode (as well as other MS products). Heck, there are open source telemetry products and even Linux users happily install telemetry packages such as popularity-contest. The only thing that bothers people is how this tech has been implemented by Microsoft in their product, with all possible dark patterns, starting with opt-out to changing telemetry controls subsequent versions to not being able to opt out at all, depending on the product.
  - ThePadawan 5y ago
    Out of curiosity, are you a VS code user? And did you switch to it from VS or another IDE? I have experience using VS from work and other (open-source) IDEs from hobby projects. Coming from open-source, VS Code seems pretty large, unwieldy, and corporate. Coming from VS, VS Code is reactive, flexible, configurable, and modern. What I want to say is that "A fresh reboot of VS" isn't just a marketing gimmick, it's something that I would think many VS users (especially those that haven't gotten used to VS's oddities for 10 years) have been clamoring for.
denkmoon 5y ago
I don't need an IDE that is going to dictate how I manage my project and build system. I need an editor with syntax highlighting, code completion, linting, and for bonus points can parse my build errors and provides a nice debug experience. VSCode definitely does those basic requirements very well, and allows me to just fire off a custom (or not) build command. No fighting VS to get clang working or whatever.

Jtsummers 5y ago

VSCode is multiplatform. It runs on Linux and macOS as well as Windows which expands its applicability and availability greatly compared to Visual Studio proper.

exdsq 5y ago

I would use VS if I was on Windows, but I'm on Linux (specifically a Ubuntu distro on a chromebook) where I need something lightweight (and cross-platform).

frabert 5y ago

In my experience, VSCode + clangd works better than full VS for most projects

Flex247A 5y ago
Even Sublime Text 4 is pretty good, if you install the LSP plugin.

ant6n 5y ago

VSCode is kind of nice, but those keybindings are very confusing and opiniated. And if you install an extension to get the bindings you're used to (vim/emacs), it gets even more confusing as the extension and VSCode start digging each other.

sgerenser 5y ago
Aren’t VSCode keybindings fully configurable?
- ant6n 5y ago
  Yes, even depending on context. You can spend days playing with the configs and not even scratch the surface. And coming up with a sane keybinding for an IDE is huge project, if not a job. ...I feel like back when working with XCode, stuff just sort of worked.

runnerup 5y ago

I wonder how much selection/sampling bias there is. It’s probably a lot easier for JetBrains to publicize this to people who are more likely to use JetBrains software. People who use CLion/PyCharm, may be much less likely to use Visual Studio. The Embedded section has no usage listed at all for Keil uVision or STMcube. That’s quite strange to me — not that they would be some small fraction, but that they would be entirely absent.

darknavi 5y ago

This question lines up with my experience: "Which IDE / editor do you use the most for C++ development?" I'm in gaming and I wish our codebase would reasonable work within VS Code but VS2019's tools just feel more "firm". I use VS Code on smaller side projects though. It's much lighter.

brundolf 5y ago

I think people don't realize what VSCode really is: it's Microsoft's opportunity to do a "visual studio reboot". They get to start over fresh, with all the lessons they've learned over the years, without any tech (or UX) debt, and innovate rapidly without disrupting established VS customers. Being "just an editor" was just a way to stealthily get its foot in the door. VSCode is already very much a full IDE for some languages, and the list is growing.

blub 5y ago
VS reboot is probably how they sold it internally, but it really really is Microsoft's way of saying "don't look at our Windows spyware and other nasty things we do which actually matter in the real world, look at this cool open source project!".
- skocznymroczny 5y ago
  One man's spyware is another man's telemetry
  - dvfjsdhgfv 5y ago
    Why not both? I don't think anybody disagrees with the idea that telemetry is useful, and that there are genuine reasons to implement it in VScode (as well as other MS products). Heck, there are open source telemetry products and even Linux users happily install telemetry packages such as popularity-contest. The only thing that bothers people is how this tech has been implemented by Microsoft in their product, with all possible dark patterns, starting with opt-out to changing telemetry controls subsequent versions to not being able to opt out at all, depending on the product.
- ThePadawan 5y ago
  Out of curiosity, are you a VS code user? And did you switch to it from VS or another IDE? I have experience using VS from work and other (open-source) IDEs from hobby projects. Coming from open-source, VS Code seems pretty large, unwieldy, and corporate. Coming from VS, VS Code is reactive, flexible, configurable, and modern. What I want to say is that "A fresh reboot of VS" isn't just a marketing gimmick, it's something that I would think many VS users (especially those that haven't gotten used to VS's oddities for 10 years) have been clamoring for.

denkmoon 5y ago

I don't need an IDE that is going to dictate how I manage my project and build system. I need an editor with syntax highlighting, code completion, linting, and for bonus points can parse my build errors and provides a nice debug experience. VSCode definitely does those basic requirements very well, and allows me to just fire off a custom (or not) build command. No fighting VS to get clang working or whatever.