Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 93 posts

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#11

Post by kortex »

I think so, but prepare for people to come out of the woodwork with all kinds of reasons why their workflow is the _one true way_.

Some people like customizing the heck out of their editor, getting super deep into metaprogramming and macros. Personally, I don't really have time for that. I want an editor which does 95% of what I want out of the box. For me, that's pycharm, but vscode is really nice as well. It feels lighter than pycharm.

You can usually configure all kinds of macros and plugins for IDEs. Like you said, it's a bit of a rabbit hole, but so is emacs lisp.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#12

Post by qsort »

rsapkf wrote: post #8
qsort wrote: post #2

A Unix novice came to Master Foo and said: “I am confused. Is it not the Unix way that every program should concentrate on one thing and do it well?” Master Foo nodded. The novice continued: “Isn't it also the Unix way that the wheel should not be reinvented?” Master Foo nodded again. “Why, then, are there several tools with similar capabilities in text processing: sed, awk and Perl? With which one can I best practic…

This is from Rootless Root: The Unix Koans of Master Foo - http://www.catb.org/esr/writings/unix-koans/shell-tools.html

Yes, thanks, should have mentioned that.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#13

Post by greenyoda »

dataflow wrote: post #10
qsort wrote: post #2

A Unix novice came to Master Foo and said: “I am confused. Is it not the Unix way that every program should concentrate on one thing and do it well?” Master Foo nodded. The novice continued: “Isn't it also the Unix way that the wheel should not be reinvented?” Master Foo nodded again. “Why, then, are there several tools with similar capabilities in text processing: sed, awk and Perl? With which one can I best practic…

Are these fill-in-the-blank parables of some sort (or parodies perhaps)? I feel like I've seen every kind of story put in this format. Is there some historical context that makes these interesting?

They're in the style of old Zen parables. In fact, the line “When you are hungry, eat; when you are tired, sleep” is an old Zen saying.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#14

Post by truly »

It might very well be, except the plugins are more difficult to write in VS Code.

On the joke side, Emacs also started out as a resource hungry beast, just like VS Code now.

Emacs feels to me a bit more extensible, and does a number of things better than VS Code (e.g., can cut rectangles, better shortcuts, regexp support, and others).

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#15

Post by jhrmnn »

dataflow wrote: post #10
qsort wrote: post #2

A Unix novice came to Master Foo and said: “I am confused. Is it not the Unix way that every program should concentrate on one thing and do it well?” Master Foo nodded. The novice continued: “Isn't it also the Unix way that the wheel should not be reinvented?” Master Foo nodded again. “Why, then, are there several tools with similar capabilities in text processing: sed, awk and Perl? With which one can I best practic…

Are these fill-in-the-blank parables of some sort (or parodies perhaps)? I feel like I've seen every kind of story put in this format. Is there some historical context that makes these interesting?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koan

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#16

Post by u-rate »

Anyone who has ever made an extension for VS-Code knows that the amount of customization you can do is MINIMAL and tightly constrained. No, VS-Code won‘t be the next emacs, it is a text editor but nothing more. Emacs can be used as a whole operating system. It‘s the dame argument people had comparing Vim with Emacs. Both pieces of software are great but they serve different purposes.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#17

Post by searene »

I feel the same. VSCode is better than Emacs in lots of aspects, but I cannot leave Emacs for now because Org Mode in Emacs is just too powerful. Although VSCode also has an Org Mode addon, it only has some basic functionalities and hasn't been updated for ages. Lots of people begin to create new products based on Markdown (e.g. foam, VSCode anki editor, etc.). But in my opinion, Markdown is not as great as Org Mode. For example, Org Mode can set properties for each heading, which is quite useful in some situations. I hope we can have more powerful Org Mode-related addons in VSCode.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#18

Post by mih »

Does VSCode offer a terminal user interface? With Emacs/Vim I can SSH to a remote machine and immediately start editing with muscle memory using the same keystrokes as in the GUI.

Sure VSCode has its strengths and as an IDE easier to get started and work with, especially for newcomers. That said, the fact that it requires a desktop environment to operate in means there are niches that Emacs fills which VSCode currently cannot.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#19

Post by saurik »

kortex wrote: post #11

I think so, but prepare for people to come out of the woodwork with all kinds of reasons why their workflow is the _one true way_. Some people like customizing the heck out of their editor, getting super deep into metaprogramming and macros. Personally, I don't really have time for that. I want an editor which does 95% of what I want out of the box. For me, that's pycharm, but vscode is really nice as well. It feels…

> Some people like customizing the heck out of their editor, getting super deep into metaprogramming and macros.

You will hopefully be programming for decades: I have been programming already for three decades and I expect I will be programming for another two before my mind gives out (if I am lucky, I might get another four). Customize your tools: they are yours, and being able to continue using and improving your workflow over time isn't a distraction if you are in this for the long haul.

Re: Ask HN: Could VSCode be the new Emacs?

#20

Post by havkd »

I’ve wanted to switch to emacs for a long time, but it feels like a second or third class citizen on Windows. There are many guides online on how to prepare it to be used as an IDE for different programming languages but it all breaks down when you try to follow the guides on Windows.

On the other hand vscode is first class, or almost.

Post reply on HN