#Scratch offline editor vs online editor code

You have other important files and data dumps that your code interacts with, though these are not part of the live application.You forget to push newly created commits, and your laptop catches fire.That said, there are times when version control is not enough: Now, it’s a given that no project today is without version control, which means a copy of the code exists on the repository at all times. The traditional code editor isn’t built for this - there’s no scope for simultaneous code editing, commenting, or highlighting, and it’s challenging to add support for it. More often than not, you need to collaborate with other developers when working out problems or debugging something. Official builds, updates, nightly builds, supported platforms, system architecture, FTP sync, CI/CD pipelines - none of that matters as long as you have a browser! It’s easy to overlook something, only to get annoyed later on when your workflow is interrupted.īy contrast, there’s nothing to do with an online editor once the first setup is over. There’s an endless list of things that must be balanced before the whole thing becomes usable. Plugins, themes, fonts, shortcuts, snippets, settings. I don’t know about you, but setting up my favorite editor to my liking on a new system isn’t something I look forward to. Now, while I haven’t embraced online editors as my primary medium, I do find myself using them more and more in specific scenarios.īefore we dive into which code editors are out there to be used, let’s pause and think about when online code editors can make sense. Turns that in most cases, and especially for Web development, the answer is yes. Why in the hell should someone want to hand over everything to a stupid browser?Ĭan it even compete with a natively installed code editor? I felt so too when I came across them 3-4 years ago. In a nutshell, these are editors that reside entirely on a remote server and are accessible via the browser. Both are two different things and as a developer, you should be familiar with these multi-language IDE. However, if you’re into Web development, there’s an alternative I want you to think about - online code editors! You can also call them cloud-based code editors.ĭon’t confuse code editor with an integrated development environment (IDE). Honestly, I won’t even dare to go there! 😀 😀 Nothing is more frustrating than having to struggle with the editor when you’re writing code (think of how annoying it is when you’ve got to shoot off a lengthy and urgent email on a new keyboard!). Code editors reduce mental friction and allow you to be more productive, which is why they’re so important and get so much attention. They know their way around the editor - its strengths, weaknesses, limits, quirks, and hidden gems.

A typical programmer spends almost all of their time (More than 98%, if I were to wager) on the code editor of choice. Sure, human beings manage to make a big deal out of everything, but I think code editors are particular when it comes to programmers. If you’re badly looking for attention, all you need to do is go to a programming community and start a thread like “Why I think X (pick any popular code editor) sucks/is the best,” grab some beer and relax.Īrguments, counter-arguments, and insults will keep pouring into and out of the discussion all night long, and it will take many months before the venom in the thread will cool off. To some, Vim is the only sensible editor ever created, while to others everything that doesn’t fit the Inception-like spirally head-spinning world of Emacs is only fit for ridicule.