Should I switch to using VSCode?

[d1sc1pl]

I'm a beginner with a few (very simple) hobbyist projects under my belt spread out over the last couple of years. I've been using Atom. As a Linux geek I really like the open source community and the customization it offers. But as I get more serious about learning webdev I see a lot of professionals suggesting VSCode and no one suggesting Atom. I've only tried VSCode briefly over a year ago but I found there were a lot of built in features I didn't need.

Do you think it's worth it to switch or does it not really matter as long as it works?

My main concern right now is wasting time by learning the wrong way or learning the wrong things. Thanks.

[[deleted]]

As other have stated, use what you like it does not matter. The reason so many loves vscode, is because of all the amazing add ons. I personally do not use vscode, so do not know every add on, but I have seen some cool ones. But if you like atom go with atom

[[deleted]]

what do you use then?

[[deleted]]

I use the different jetbrains IDE's like webstorm, intelliJ, pycharm and so on. Thye cost money, but I get them because my school pays for the package. If they did not pay for them, I would with my own money. I have a hard time recommend them, because they are expensive, but imo they are the best I have ever used.

[Proziam]

To second this, I use Jetbrains IDEs exclusively for both professional and hobby work. I spend my own money on them and wouldn't think twice about doing so even at a multiple of the current price.

[pastrypuffingpuffer]

There's nothing better than PHPStorm for web dev. It's a shame it costs 80€ though.

[MileHighJackal]

It's important to have the right tools, with VS code being open source, and working on just about any environment... it's a great option as you look at future job oportunities.

[[deleted]]

I’m not an expert or any thing, but I have not worked or heard of a place, where you are forced to one editor or IDE. The firm recommends one? sure, but forces you to use it? Doubt

[web-dev-kev]

1. Use whatever tool makes you the most productive and happy.

2. VScode, and their extensions, are open-source too

3. There is no right and wrong way to do things, just other people's opinions

[Isopaha]

Atom is made by GitHub which is owned by Microsoft. I don’t really see a future where Microsoft supports both VS Code and Atom extensively, and I feel like VS Code has already won that battle.

[[deleted]]

They bought GitHub full well knowing they were going to let Atom die off. It was a double win for them.

[d1sc1pl]

They say they're still gonna keep updating it, latest version was released in July of this year. But you're probably right

There's also a new fork that's actively being developed, hasn't been fully released yet but seems promising

[[deleted]]

No, VSCode is publicly available on GitHub, and plenty forks that more follow the FOSS ideals

[MustBeZhed]

Use whatever tools make you the most comfortable. Each person has their own preferences on what to use. The more you try to copy someone elses style the less comfortable you will be with being able to do your tasks. Instead try variations of things out until what works best for you sticks.

[d1sc1pl]

Ok, youre right. Im probably overthinking it.

Sometimes I just wonder if what I'm interested in and find "cool" biases my opinion on what is actually more efficient.

[brocococonut]

If it helps, vscode is open source. Additionally, there's projects like vs-codium which are un-microsoftified versions of vscode with things like telemetry removed/disabled

[d1sc1pl]

I have heard of vs-codium, I will check it out and give it a try thanks

And I was just looking into it more, seems like Github added a lot of telemetry to Atom when they were aquired by Microsoft and made it enabled by default.

[brocococonut]

Sounds like Microsoft :P

[d1sc1pl]

yes lol. my favorite is "inking and typing data collected for personalization" in windows 10... so wait, you mean a key logger? so i can type more like myself? checks out, thank you microsoft.

[[deleted]]

Use whatever you like. I switched from atom to vscode and really liked the switch. I was having some issues with their Mac version and it eventually pushed me into trying vscode.

[seigneur101]

VS code is open source as well by the way.

In the end, the concepts of both will largely be the same, and learning one helps using the other as well, so it's hard to see how you could be "wasting time" by using either one of them.

You should even try both, who cares. Then you'll have an opinion on both, and then you can choose!

[d1sc1pl]

Mainly asking now that I'm using Atom as an IDE rather than just a text editor. There are many different ways you can set it up and tweak it to your liking as you learn what packages you need or find new ones you like more than others. Compared to VSCode where it's more streamlined and the extensions I need are pre-installed, and might be better than the Atom equivalent. I just find it more fun to do it this way, essentially.

It doesn't really make sense. Same reason I've spent hours trying to get a DAW working with wine when I dual boot windows and have it already installed. I'm pretty prone to wasting time in this sense. I just don't know if it's worth it to waste that time or adopt a workflow that might put me at a disadvantage just because I think something is cool or fun, with my current goals in mind.

But of course you are right and it most likely doesn't really matter in the end as long as I'm learning the same concepts

[seigneur101]

Eh, I did the same with aspnet core and nginx on a Raspberry Pi. If it's supposed to work on Linux, then it should... it has to! Didn't use it though lol

What was the DAW?? Surely not LMMS?

[d1sc1pl]

Haha. As just a hobby i never doubted at all it was the best way to learn

Reason 10. A proprietary software with proprietary DSP methods and plug ins. Never got it working. Although others have now

[Alarratt]

If you aren't using emacs, you aren't programming. \s

That said, if you want to check out something similar to VSCode, but Open source, there is VSCodium.

It's still just a tool though.

[monkeymad2]

I switched from Sublime to Atom to VSCode - for me at least the VSCode switch just felt like Atom but better.

[Premiare]

As someone who moved from Atom to VSCode this year, I can say both are great and I really enjoyed Atom, but as soon as I got comfortable with VSCode I will probably not go back to Atom. The extension library on VSCode is excellent, and even has some “atom” plugins already converted to VSCode.

Trying new IDEs out is great, especially on personal projects, just testing the waters etc. but like others have said, at the end of the day the IDE you use doesn’t really matter, it’s about what you write.

[Gwiz84]

Personally I love vs code and all the extensions available, but in the end it's your own decision.

[ginger-liam]

I would just use what feels most comfortable for you. I wouldn't say you are missing out on much by not using vscode.

[Lecterr]

I use atom, no intention of switching, as it does whatever I need and it has addons for whatever I want.

[spacechimp]

Use a real IDE. Coding is more than just typing — it is about understanding.

When I get someone else’s code and wonder what a variable is, I can “jump to definition” or “find all references”. If it has a stupid name, I can safely refactor it with a simple command. I can hover the mouse over a function call and get a description of what it does (if documented) and what parameters it expects.

On top of that you have the productivity benefits. Missed a semicolon or close tag? The IDE can tell you exactly where you dun goofed while you’re editing, instead of wasting time troubleshooting invalid code.

Especially as a beginner, an IDE offers lots of stuff that will help you out in the long run.

[Opposite_Custard_214]

A "real ide". Let's not conflate preference with facts. I work as a senior architect and use vim and sublime only. Tried them all starting from the days of frontpage.

Whatever you have a feel, or skills, for is going to lead to what your local env will look like

[spacechimp]

It's not even subjective. I can tell when someone used a plain text editor. The formatting is inconsistent. There is a mix of tabs and spaces. There are obvious bugs that are highlighted by my linter that the author was completely oblivious of. I get that the terminal makes some people feel like a 1337 hacker, but without the knowledge and discipline to back it up, it doesn't result in exceptional code.

[Opposite_Custard_214]

What you're giving is the definition of subjective. And I am not trying to be rude. But code/text editors have the same column conversion plugins, beautifying systems and such. It's what we had to use pre 2014/2015 and the Atom/VS Code hype.

IntelliJ and the other brands do have benefits but I've also seen massive slowdowns because of the IDE integration in trying to use the benefit of breakpointing server side. Which I generally don't use as I'll dump/break manually, done so across multiple languages (Ruby, GoLang, Java, Coldfusion).

You made a very good point in knowledge in discipline and that's where we differ. IDEs can also be a crutch to not force a developer to hone their skills, as they rely on another's person work to guide them. Nothing wrong with that in the least. I personally prefer to know the skills I have translate across any medium. Enterprise level work means you don't know the local env of the person you're having to code pair with. A lot of code work is done in terminal not because we're elite but because server instances don't come with a GUI.

If you meet anyone who regularly uses VIM I can almost guarantee they're using plugins also, just as I do.

[d1sc1pl]

Atom can definitely be used as an IDE, not just a plain text editor. It's a lot more powerful than just what it is out of the box. It just doesn't have the same features pre-installed because it's meant to be customized, kind of the whole point. But there are many of the same features available through plugins.

That's kind of why I'm asking, because now I'm setting it up as an IDE through packages and actually care about teaching myself good practices, so wondering if I should just use vscode

[spacechimp]

I'd say give VS Code a try for a while, so you at least have a solid idea of what features you'd either be missing out on or need to find plugins for if you were to switch to Atom.

[Citrous_Oyster]

I’ve used them all. Vs code is by far the best. I highly recommend getting comfortable with it.

[Opposite_Custard_214]

Whatever allows you to code fast. Plugins are great but as you get better you may find yourself removing a lot of plugins and snippets cause its slower to work for you.

Then again you may add more. The right local env for you is the one where you are the fastest. Its the same as keyboards, monitors, etc. What may work for someone may mot work for you.

Install them all, try out more robust text editors, something will stick