Let's go over the current frontend editors.

2024.05.06

When helping some classmates remotely with code revisions, I noticed that they use a variety of editors: VSCode, WebStorm, and even Sublime...

This inevitably reminds me: "When I first started learning front-end development, I did try out many different choices of editors."

Today, I've become a staunch supporter of VSCode, to the point where I've "forgotten" about the existence of other editors. You might call this "focus." However, this also limits us in our choices.

So, let's review the current front-end editors today, after all, "a hundred flowers bloom" to "collide" for more inspiration:

Notepad++ Advantages:

  • Free and open-source: Notepad++ is free and open-source, allowing users to freely obtain and modify the source code.
  • Lightweight: Notepad++ is a lightweight text editor with fast startup speed and minimal memory usage, making it suitable for simple text editing tasks.
  • Syntax highlighting: Supports syntax highlighting for many programming languages, making programming more comfortable.
  • Rich plugins: Notepad++ supports many plugins to facilitate development and editing tasks.

Disadvantages:

  • Relatively simple features: Notepad++ lacks advanced features compared to professional integrated development environments (IDEs), making it less suitable for large-scale projects.
  • No debugging support: Notepad++ does not support code debugging, which may inconvenience users who need to debug code.
  • Only runs on Windows: Notepad++ runs only on the Windows platform, limiting its use for cross-platform development projects.

WebStorm Advantages:

  • High integration: WebStorm integrates many tools and features required for web development, including code editor, debugger, version control, testing tools, etc., providing developers with all the necessary capabilities and convenience.
  • Support for multiple technologies: WebStorm supports various front-end and back-end technologies, such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Angular, Vue.js, Node.js, etc., satisfying developers' diverse needs.
  • Intelligent code completion: WebStorm's intelligent code completion helps developers reduce keystrokes and improve development efficiency.
  • Powerful debugging capabilities: WebStorm's debugging capabilities allow easy debugging of both front-end and back-end code to identify errors and issues.
  • Rich plugin ecosystem: WebStorm has a wide range of built-in tools and functions, as well as many plugins in its ecosystem, enabling users to easily extend its functionality.

Disadvantages:

  • High price: WebStorm is a commercial software, requiring payment for use, which may be expensive for individual developers.
  • Steep learning curve: WebStorm has a rich feature set, resulting in a steep learning curve that requires time and effort to master.
  • High resource consumption: WebStorm consumes more resources compared to lightweight editors, requiring a relatively good computer configuration for smooth operation.
  • Only suitable for web development: WebStorm is specifically designed for web development, limiting its use for other types of development projects.

Sublime Text Advantages:

  • Lightweight: Sublime Text has fast startup speed and minimal memory usage, making it suitable for simple text editing tasks.
  • Feature-rich: Sublime Text offers a wide range of features, including code highlighting, auto-completion, macro recording, multi-line editing, Goto Anything, etc., improving developers' efficiency.
  • Rich plugin ecosystem: Sublime Text supports many plugins to enhance development and editing tasks.
  • Cross-platform support: Sublime Text can run on multiple platforms, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing convenience for multi-platform users.
  • High customizability: Sublime Text allows users to customize settings, color schemes, and plugins according to their preferences, making it adaptable to individual usage habits.

Disadvantages:

  • Paid software: Although Sublime Text offers a trial period, it requires payment after the trial period, which may be a barrier for some users.
  • Varying plugin quality: While Sublime Text supports many plugins, the quality of these plugins varies, with some plugins having security issues or instability.
  • Lack of automatic updates: Sublime Text does not automatically update like other software, requiring users to manually check for updates and reinstall.
  • Lack of community support: Compared to some open-source editors, Sublime Text lacks comprehensive community support, and the quality of community contributions varies.

These are just some of the major front-end editors currently being used. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice ultimately depends on the individual developer's preferences, project requirements, and workflow.