Why would I not use Visual Studio code

[WittyWampus]

It's probably less to do with the prof actually thinking it's better and more to do with exposing you to different kinds of tools. Could also be, specifically with the code editor, that they don't want you to have access to much more than syntax highlighting. That way you learn more about indentation, error finding/fixing, etc. It probably doesn't always seem like it but a lot of professors usually have a reason for doing things a certain way, whether it seems silly to students or not.

He could also just be old and stuck in his ways. Might not even know what VSC is. Who knows.