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Text editors just format and display text. IDEs have compilers, debuggers, indexers, source control integration, analysis tooling, WSL integration, SSH integrat
by xboxnolifes 5mo ago
Text editors just format and display text. IDEs have compilers, debuggers, indexers, source control integration, analysis tooling, WSL integration, SSH integration, and whatever plugins you might have installed.
- xigoi 5mo agoWhy would a compiler take up resources when you’re not compiling anything?
- leosanchez 5mo agoTo show compilation errors as you type.
- xigoi 5mo agoWhy not show the UI immediately and start the language server asynchronously in the background, like Neovim does it?
- mike_hearn 5mo agoJetBrains IDEs do this.
- sebazzz 5mo agoThat is possible, but if swapping happens due to memory pressure it can still cause slowdowns in unrelated parts of the same or other processes.
- kstrauser 5mo agoDoes that definition of “text editor” still describe anything commonly used? Language servers cover a lot of that. SSH and source control are ubiquitous. I can’t think of anything in years I’ve heard of people using that would count as just a text editor.
- johnnyanmac 5mo agoMost popular text editors blurs the line these days. Vim can be the most straightforward text editor out there, or the most comprehensive IDE depending on how much you go into its environment. I keep Vs code bare bones and mostly use it as a text editor, but it only needs a dozen extensions to be a full fledged IDE. It's not surprising to hear few true text editors because a text editor is more or less a solved problem. Notepad++ is 20 years old and still functions fine for those who want a pure text editor. Anyone making a modern text editor is either doing it to learn or to build up into an IDE later.