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author MrJuneJune <me@mrjunejune.com>
date Mon, 03 Aug 2026 11:26:30 -0700
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12 However, I’ve seen many engineers throughout my career who are unable to code effectively unless they have a specific setup—whether it’s VS Code, IntelliJ, or some other IDE. It’s disheartening to see people afraid to use a terminal just because it’s not “user-friendly.” Most of these modern Electron-based editors are simply wrapping terminal commands into clickable buttons. It’s bizarre to see engineers struggle with tasks like resolving merge conflicts unless they have buttons labeled 'Accept All,' 'Accept Incoming,' or 'Accept Local.' Some can’t even SSH into a remote server without the help of VS Code. 12 However, I’ve seen many engineers throughout my career who are unable to code effectively unless they have a specific setup—whether it’s VS Code, IntelliJ, or some other IDE. It’s disheartening to see people afraid to use a terminal just because it’s not “user-friendly.” Most of these modern Electron-based editors are simply wrapping terminal commands into clickable buttons. It’s bizarre to see engineers struggle with tasks like resolving merge conflicts unless they have buttons labeled 'Accept All,' 'Accept Incoming,' or 'Accept Local.' Some can’t even SSH into a remote server without the help of VS Code.
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14 I fully support tools that help developers write better code and become better engineers. But if someone doesn’t understand what’s happening under the hood and asks questions like, “Why can’t I run Python in my VS Code?”, then we’ve overcomplicated the process. This makes things harder for beginners to actually learn what is going on and frustrating for those who already know what they’re doing since it takes forever to figure out where to set simple configurations. Losing context about what’s happening behind the scenes leads to a noticeable degradation in the quality of engineers, who can no longer perform simple tasks in the terminal. 14 I fully support tools that help developers write better code and become better engineers. But if someone doesn’t understand what’s happening under the hood and asks questions like, “Why can’t I run Python in my VS Code?”, then we’ve overcomplicated the process. This makes things harder for beginners to actually learn what is going on and frustrating for those who already know what they’re doing since it takes forever to figure out where to set simple configurations. Losing context about what’s happening behind the scenes leads to a noticeable degradation in the quality of engineers, who can no longer perform simple tasks in the terminal.
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16 <div class="center"> <img src="/public/vscode.png" /> </div> 16 <div class="center"> <img src="/public/vscode.webp" /> </div>
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18 *Why is VS Code taking up 1GB of RAM for opening a text file? The folder doesn't have 1GB worth of the files.* 18 *Why is VS Code taking up 1GB of RAM for opening a text file? The folder doesn't have 1GB worth of the files.*
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20 Productivity on some of these modern IDEs is also questionable. They are often slow. It can take a second or two to open a file, even after the folder is loaded. Many IDEs run countless linters, syntax checkers, and multiple LSP servers simultaneously, all because people install plugins for every library they use. These state-of-the-art applications, developed by billion-dollar companies, should leverage the power of a 4.15GHz CPU to feel like a sharp chef’s knife. Instead, they often feel like clunky infomercial gadgets that press a button to chop vegetables. 20 Productivity on some of these modern IDEs is also questionable. They are often slow. It can take a second or two to open a file, even after the folder is loaded. Many IDEs run countless linters, syntax checkers, and multiple LSP servers simultaneously, all because people install plugins for every library they use. These state-of-the-art applications, developed by billion-dollar companies, should leverage the power of a 4.15GHz CPU to feel like a sharp chef’s knife. Instead, they often feel like clunky infomercial gadgets that press a button to chop vegetables.
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