Visual Studio Code

I’ve noticed Visual Studio Code in a few videos, and admired what a clean interface it had, and was impressed how opening a terminal window was automatically in the directory you were working in.

I had a need to write some html/css, and some C++ in the last couple of days, so that seemed like a great excuse to give it a try. I’d have to say my opinion of it has only gone up. Clearly, it is right at home with HTML and CSS - code completion and syntax colouring all working nicely. I followed TechWithTim’s suggestion to install the Live Server extension - which was a completely painless experience.

Vim

I’ve been working through the Missing Semester lectures from MIT, and recently completed the lecture about the Vim editor . Vim is a test editor, called from the command line, and optimised for programming - in the sense that it assumes most of the use of the editor is navigating around a big text file making small changes rather than entering large amount of test.

It uses simple, short key presses (as opposed to mouse movements or using menus or toolbars) to achieve things. This makes it highly efficient for good typists who know all the commands, and slightly incomprehensible to those who do not. An additional level of complexity is the idea of modes. Vim has several modes, the main ones being:

Instant Errors

I’m loving how, in XCode and Playgrounds, it’s constantly sort of compiling or interpreting in the background so errors are being flagged as you’re working. I tried to google the proper name for this but it’s clearly so unremarkable as to be un-remarked on. I guess maybe it’s a commonplace feature of modern IDEs , but for someone who literally used to go to make a coffee when compiling a medium size Clipper , or even years later Visual Studio C++ project, it’s a revelation.