Poll: Which code editor do you use?

You might be thinking we should just ask who’s not using VSCode :joy: however there are some new additions in the space that might give VSCode a run for its money! Mainly, Brackets (from Adobe) and Codespaces (in-browser editor and cloud dev environment from Github).

  • Visual Studio Code
  • Vim (or a variant)
  • Emacs (or a variant)
  • Notepad++
  • Sublime Text
  • Atom
  • TextMate
  • Codespaces
  • Brackets
  • Other - please say in thread!

0 voters

You can always come back and change your vote later :+1:

4 Likes

For now I have voted Vim, but I want to try VSCode again (if only I could get it to stop trying to connect to the internet without me asking it to!) but also want to try out Brackets.

I also still use TextMate 2 when not needing to work on a lot of files at the same time (it doesn’t have split panes/windows).

1 Like

Corresponding tweet for this thread:

Share link for this tweet.

1 Like

I’m surprised JetBrains IDE’s aren’t on there, some of the most used in the world. But I primarily use JetBrains IDE’s or emacs. ^.^

I put other since I use jetbrains more, but it should be multiple choice. ^.^

4 Likes

I was thinking we might want a separate poll for IDEs? We can add one in place of the Twitter post if you like - feel free to edit one in I you get time (I’ll delete my post above it then and repost it underneath) :smiley:

1 Like

I’m bi-editorial, at least from among those choices. Learned EMACS in college, as it was pretty much the screen-based (vs. line-based) editor on TOPS-20, and also available on the VMS and Unix systems I occasionally had access to. Eventually had to work on a Unix system that didn’t have it, so of course vi (pre-vim). Used lots of others along the way, fave among the others being IBM PE2. Intend to check out VSCode one of these years…

3 Likes

Often Visual Studio Code (with Vim extension) and sometimes Vim.

4 Likes

Vim is my main editor (it works great for me, but I wouldn’t go around “recruiting” people: the right editor is the one that works for you).

When pair programming though, I use VSCode, so my pairing partner doesn’t need to learn my specific setup. When remote pairing, VSCode Live Share is just amazing.

In sum, Vim, but bravo to VSCode for some amazing features that make remote pairing so smooth!

4 Likes

There seems to be a new ‘hot’ code editor every few years, there was Sublime, then Atom, now VSC, but the classics like Vim and Emacs always seem to hold their own, attracting new people all the time:

4 Likes

I currently use Vscode. However, Onivim caught my eye several months back.

I’ve very lightly used vim over the years and really love the idea of modal editing. But muscle memory of Vscode’s key bindings and plug-ins pull me back every time. Some of the goals of Onivim are real vim (the site explains what that means), great performance and Vscode plug-in compatibility.

I haven’t switched to Onivim full time. But I’ve enjoyed using it. I think as the project progresses it could be an excellent editor, though maybe niche.

4 Likes

VS Code for more serious stuff and Geany for an occasional fast scripting or a test.
VS Code mainly due to awesome integration with Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 10.
Sublime Text fan, but cost not justifiable for a (mostly) hobbyist.

3 Likes

I hadn’t even heard of Onivim and Geany!

@Tomas, what do you like/dislike about Geany?


Here’s a vid about Onivim, it looks really interesting!

Not an Electron app, but built using Reason’s Revery framework (meant to be more performant) - this is from their readme:

Introduction

Onivim 2 is a reimagination of the Oni editor. Onivim 2 aims to bring the speed of Sublime, the language integrationof VSCode, and the modal editing experience of Vim together, in a single package.

Onivim 2 is built in reason using the revery framework.

Onivim 2 uses libvim to manage buffers and provide authentic modal editing, and features a fast, native front-end. In addition, Onivim 2 leverages the VSCode Extension Host process in its entirety - meaning, eventually, complete support for VSCode extensions and configuration.

Goals

  • Modern UX - an experience on par with modern code editors like VSCode and Atom
  • VSCode Plugin Support - use all of the features of VSCode plugins, including language servers and debuggers
  • Cross-Platform - works on Windows, OSX, and Linux
  • Batteries Included - works out of the box
  • Performance - no compromises: native performance, minimal input latency
  • Easy to Learn - Onivim 2 should be comfortable for non-vimmers, too!

The goal of this project is to build an editor that doesn’t exist today - the speed of a native code editor like Sublime, the power of modal editing, and the rich tooling that comes with a lightweight editor like VSCode.

Non-goals

  • 100% VimL compatibility - we may not support all features of VimL plugins / configuration.

Are you on Onivim 2 beta @foxtrottwist? Sounds like one to watch for sure!!

2 Likes

@AstonJ yep! I hopped in early when the first announced development.

3 Likes

Ah nice, please keep us updated on how you get on with it :smiley:

2 Likes

Geany is a rather old editor, but is fast and just works, my use of it is somewhat undemanding - as a kind of scratchpad or for a quick small script here and there. I’ve developed habit of using it that way, as the other editors and IDEs used were rather resource hogs and took a long time to start on slow machine (Pycharm, Atom,…).

Just tried Onivim shortly, reminds me of Lighttable somewhat in it’s beta version minimalism - but it looks like one that could get more steam and a more significant userbase.

3 Likes

Sounds like what I use TextMate for - it’s free now, if you have a Mac :smiley:

I think we might need a dedicated thread for Onivim :smiley:

I want to try it as well “the best of Vim and VSCode” sounds pretty tempting, especially if it doesn’t try to call home every few minutes like VSCode does!

2 Likes

I’m sold on this part, praying to win one of giveaways :wink:

3 Likes

I started experimenting with NeoVim + LunarVim lately but still voted for Emacs here because for now it’s still my main everyday work editor.

Maybe it pays off to have polls every 6 or so months because we could see how do people’s preferences change over time.

4 Likes

We could do but I expect people might get bored of resubmitting so often… so… I would suggest to simply change your vote (as you can in our polls) and then make a post to say what you changed to and why - this would help keep the thread alive and, I think, could spark some interesting discussions :nerd_face:

Speaking of editors, I’d like to see them with added options/intelligence - eg, if I’m working in a Rails (or Phoenix) app, and am saying working on a specific model, I’d like the side pane to automatically show me the associated controller and views and anything else related. I have really grown to dislike the conventional MVC folder structure because usually when I am working on something I very often want to edit related files.

There was a Vim plugin that helped here a bit, so if you were in a model you could :controller and it would jump to the associated controller - but I’d still like the folder structure to change in the tree.

2 Likes

Yeah, people want that for ages, man. But it’s tough work and nobody wants to sponsor it.

2 Likes