
Ask HN: Do any of you dislike using Visual Studio Code? - ZanyProgrammer
Given how very popular it is, anyone here actually dislike using it?
======
SiVal
Just in case you mean the question literally, yes, some people on HN have said
they dislike using it. I'm not one of them. I like it.

But you're probably asking for people who dislike it to tell you what it is
about VS Code they dislike. I do like it, but in case they don't answer: When
people have said they tried it but abandoned it, they usually say they like
the snappier speed of the QT-based Sublime Text. Most of us, it seems, find
the speed of VS Code good enough, but some people have said that they don't.

The next complaint isn't really dislike per se, but some people find that even
though VS Code might work in general, their specific work is better done with
more specialized tools, ex: xcode for iOS, Android Studio for Android, full
Visual Studio for Windows apps, JetBrains IDEs for Java or Python, etc.

Those two are the reasons I've heard most from people who have rejected VS
Code.

~~~
arbhassan
Sublime Text is not QT-Based.

According to Jon.[0]

[0][https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2822114](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2822114)

~~~
SiVal
+1. Thanks for that. I've heard it was QT many times, but Jon is the ultimate
authority.

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dham
Yea not a fan. Font rendering has always been hideous in Electron apps. Even
with a 4k monitors it doesn't render like Mac native apps do. Simple things
you take for granted in Sublime like it opening, typing speed, ui scaling
correctly. Plus things like no sidebar customization (literally every other
part of the editor is customizable). Icons in the editor are hideous.

Then issues like these

[https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/67288](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/67288)
[https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/67413](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/67413)

I question the people who use it and their attention to detail. If you zoom
the editor all sort of issues start popping up. Stuff just shifting everywhere
in the editor. So yea I don't like it and will be using Sublime for a long
while, or at least until someone figures out how to do text input in Electron
apps.

~~~
sgillen
Not sure why you are getting downvotes. The question is literally asking for
people who don’t like vscode to voice their criticisms.

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SeaDude
As someone (non-programmer, yet text-curious) who spent ~9months of this short
life learning Emacs so I could use org-mode, I love using VS Code.

It’s non-esoteric, easy to pick up, easy to kick ass with, and easy to show
others how to kick ass with it.

The terrible parts:

\- I don’t trust it , from a privacy-first standpoint, as much as I trust
Emacs

\- There appears to be absolutely NO security around third party extensions
(not good for newbs nor enterprise envs)

[https://stackoverflow.com/questions/55126683/how-is-vs-
code-...](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/55126683/how-is-vs-code-
extension-security-handled?r=SearchResults)

------
0_gravitas
I like it but have some bugbears with it:

\- I feel like once every couple weeks one or more of my extensions stop
working properly, and I need to either restart vscode, or worse, I sometimes
need to reinstall the extensions.

\- it's the heaviest 'lightweight ide' I've ever used, if that makes sense.

\- kind of part of the last issue, but I need to say it explicitly: Electron

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fn_esc
Nearly everyone at my shop uses vscode, but I stick with spacemacs for a few
reasons: \- I know the shortcuts fairly well. If it ain’t broke, etc.

\- Magit is a good enough reason to use emacs all by itself. The git
integration in vscode can’t touch it.

\- With vscode, if you want a given feature you have to search for extensions,
vet them, pick one, etc. With spacemacs (most of the time) just search the
docs, it’s probably already there and all you need to do is make a keybinding.
At worst you add a line or two to your config file.

\- Emacs was laughably slow on 80’s hardware. Electron apps are laughably slow
on 2010’s hardware.

\- The vi bindings available for vscode aren’t as deeply integrated as evil-
mode is. If your muscle memory expects home-row navigation, it’s extra
frustrating when even most of your editor doesn’t use it.

~~~
the_jpg
Do you do frontend stuff on your emacs? If yes; Mind if I take a look at your
.emacs?

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lmiller1990
I am a Vim guy but find VSCode is the only option for TypeScript; none of the
Vin plugins work quite as well. I'm happy with it. I much prefer my Vim setup,
though, but for TS the seamlessness of VS Code is too good to give up. I enjoy
the IDE part of VS Code; the editor, not so much.

~~~
spectrum1234
Vim for vsc works pretty well. What don't you like about it! The word and line
jump to are great.

------
deanmoriarty
Unfortunately, the Java support for any semi-serious multi component Java
project is an absolute joke. It saddens me because I am basically forced to
use VS Code for everything else and then IntelliJ for those projects, which
breaks my workflows and my muscle memory for keybindings.

~~~
protonimitate
Same, my only complaint is that the java support isn't as good as intellij.

I use VSC for everything other than java without a hitch. The only issue I run
into is sometimes the tslint plugin gets slow/refuses to clear certain errors
- but a restart of VSC clears it up.

I'll agree with muscle memory for keybindings being an issue. I've re-mapped a
bunch to be more consistent, but there are still some weird ones that throw
me.

------
deepaksurti
With Vim/Spacemacs/Tmux, Automator workflows (I am a Mac user),
Notion/Org/Git[hub/lab] for tracking my project work;

I don't know if there is any need to switch to anything else. Yes, for my Mac
land work, I bit the bullet and use Xcode.

So to answer, I dislike even the idea of moving onto something else with an
already productive setup. I keep reading these VSCode articles, but I haven't
found anything ultra special that inclines me to try out, maybe I am missing
something here. And then their is always the fear of telemetry!!!

------
renox
What I don't like about VScode for C++: sometimes find source is very slow
(much slower than doing a grep and opening the file yourself), and it opened
the wrong file for one of my colleague, and find usage never work.

And I never managed to configure vim the way I wanted ('correct' usage of
multiple tab when opening a function/file definition) That said I still prefer
it over Eclipse or CLion..

~~~
renox
Oops, I meant that even though VScode has many flaws (copy paste from the
LinuxVM to Windows doesn't work), it still work better for me than Eclipse,
CLion or Vim.

------
sgillen
I want to like it but I have some problems with it.

I’m trying to use it to replace Jupyter notebooks, but some things don’t work
like I expect, the UI feels cluttered, and for some reason I’ve been having
weird issues with the autocomplete when running code in kernels.

Right now I still prefer my Jupyter lab + pycharm setup. I may continue to try
and learn better workflows with VScode because I think it has the potential to
replace both for me and alleviate many pain points.

------
zneveu
I'm used to using Vim with a bunch of plug-ins as my IDE. VSCode allows me to
get an almost identical setup plus some extra features set up in a fraction of
the time. This comes with too big tradeoffs though: customizability and speed.
I've found VSCode can get laggy, particularly on older machines or with many
plug-ins loaded. There are also all kinds of UI things I find myself unable to
configure (status bars etc.).

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mladen5
I don't like VS Code git integration, WebStorms (JetBrains) diff/merge tool
with syntax highlighting is superior.

~~~
misterioss
Debugger also much better in JetBrains products

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nunez
Compared to vim, yes. It’s heavier, slower and depends too much on the mouse.
I also have a vimrc I’ve maintained on github for the last 6 years, so
configuring vim is as easy as running “git clone.” That said, I could start
doing the same with Code since it uses settings.json for everything.

Compared to everything else, no.

------
gitgud
I was a big sublime text user, but my work uses Vscode so I do too.

I hated it at first but am always amazed at the maturity of the whole
extensions ecosystem. Could be the only thing from Microsoft I actually
like!.... And all they did was fork Atom Editor...

------
twoquestions
I just wish it worked better on the toaster machine I have to work on.

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prisar
After installing some extensions in VS code on windows, it do becomes slow. So
I don't like that much. But vs code is better than others in the market.

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torstenvl
I like VSCode, but I get slightly annoyed at how its auto-indentation doesn't
auto-de-indent after a closing brace (the way emacs does).

~~~
torstenvl
Disregard. Updated version works the way I expect it to. It must have been a
while since I last used it.

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andrei_says_
I tried it and disliked it. Felt very heavy and complex compared to
SublimeText.

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rman666
Ha, I still love TextPad, but more for writing, not coding. Let the editor
wars begin!

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potta_coffee
I think it's ok, but I like Sublime better and that's what I use.

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d0100
I like because it's free. But autocomplete is very slow.

------
radicalriddler
ITT: People saying they like VSCode

