You Need to Ditch VS Code

Summary

Categories: [Terminal], [Programming] Last Update: January 20, 2025 VS Code is holding you back as a programmer. I know that's a bold statement, but hear me out. After spending years in the terminal then a year with VS Code and then moving to terminal-based development, I've seen firsthand how relying on GUI-based IDEs can limit your effectiveness as a developer. The Hidden Cost of Convenience VS Code's biggest selling point is convenience. This is exactly what's hurting your development as a programmer. When you rely on VS Code to: Manage your Git workflow Handle file operations Auto-complete your code Format your documents Run your tests Debug your applications You're letting the IDE think for you instead of building a deep understanding of these fundamental operations. Understanding Your Tools When you work directly in the terminal, you're forced to understand what's actually happening when you: Stage and commit changes in Git Navigate and manipulate your file system Build your tools to fit your exact needs Debug your code without visual breakpoints Write code without constant auto-completion This deeper understanding makes you a more capable programmer because you know exactly what's happening under the hood. No more blindly accepting VS Code's suggestions or clicking buttons without understanding the underlying commands. The Real-World Impact Here's where this really matters: when things break. I've seen countless junior developers freeze when their IDE isn't available or when they need to work on a remote server. They know how to code in VS Code, but they don't know how to code. Consider these scenarios: Your production server needs an emergency hotfix You're SSH'd into a cloud instance that needs debugging You're working with a minimal Docker container You need to develop on a resource-constrained device In these situations, your VS Code knowledge won't help you. But if you're comfortable with terminal-based development, you can work effectively anywhere. Bre...