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In Linux, having a good text editor is important for managing text smoothly like copying, pasting, and deleting. In this context, Atom and VSCode are the two popular code editors. Now, I will discuss the main feature differences between Atom and VSCode that will help you find the suitable one for your system. Let’s dive into the article.
What is Atom?
Atom is a free text editor and desktop application that you can use on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Using different programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, users can customize it. Moreover, it is a free and open-source text editor that allows users to modify the backend code according to user preference. But because of its huge number of features, it takes time to used to the text editor.
What is VSCode?
VSCode, a short form of Visual Studio code, is a versatile, free code editor. It was developed by Microsoft and is available on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Additionally, It allows to change the code to improve code quality and increase readability. Users can customize the theme, and keyboard shortcuts, and add extensions to suit their preferences.
What Are the Differences Between Atom and VSCode?
The main differences between Atom and VSCode include user interface, design, performance, configuration, and plug-ins. Let’s see the differences in detail below:
1. User Experience
The most important thing when comparing two text editors is the user experience. It means the key factor is how easy and user-friendly a text editor is whether for a beginner or an experienced one. Atom offers a clean and intuitive interface with a smooth editing experience. VSCode also provides a user-friendly interface. Due to its extensive functionality, it has a slightly steeper learning curve. Apart from that, it offers powerful customization options.
In terms of the user interface, Atom provides a GUI-based simple interface. On the other hand, VScode provides a customizable attractive look.
2. Design
When you try to compare the text editor, you have to consider the design. Both Atom and VSCode editors have a smooth appearance. Moreover, for easy customization, both use HTML with CSS with plenty of customization options. But the UI of Atom makes it better than Visual Studio Code in this aspect because it provides a straightforward menu structure and intuitive toolbar which helps users with clear navigation. Moreover, Atom supports a customizable panel that includes the file tree and mini-mapping.
3. Performance
There has been a debate on the fact that electron-based apps are slow as they use a lot of memory. Between the code editors, VScode is considered faster and more efficient than Atom. Besides having a solid core set of features, Visual Studio Code has also plug-ins that add extra functionality. On the other hand, Atom heavily depends on extensions which makes it slower.
4. Customization
If you want to customize the Visual Studio code, then you need to edit its JSON file which is recently replaced by the graphical user interface. The GUI has made the task of customization easier in comparison to editing JSON files. On the other hand, in Atom, all the tasks are done through a graphical user interface which makes it more user-friendly.
5. Plug-ins
Handling the additional features mainly makes a difference in the performance of the text editors. VSCode highly depends on extensive plugins that increase its functionalities and expand its ability beyond its core features. On the other hand, Atom highly relies on the extensions, and even these extensions can modify and replace the core functionalities. The fact is that Atom’s reliance on extensions could pose difficulties when attempting to enhance its performance.
6. Community and Support
Community and support mainly refer to a group of developers and users that work together in the development in the case of an open-source application and try to solve the problem that arises during development or usage. Both of the code editor has a large and active community support with robust resources. However, Visual Studio Code has been developed by Microsoft. On the other hand, Atom also has well-established open-source community support. But it may not be as large and well-supported as VSCode’s.
Atom Vs VSCode: Comparison of Features
The features of a specific text editor mainly make the difference between them. Take a look at the following section which shows some additional feature differences between the text editors Atom and VScode:
| Features | Atom | Vscode |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | GitHub | Microsoft |
| Initial Release | 2014 | 2015 |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Programming language | HTML, CSS, Javascript, C++. | Javascript, TypeScript, HTML, Python, C++. |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Operating system | Linux, Windows, MacOS, BSD, Unix. | Linux, Windows, MacOS. |
| Overlappable windows | Yes | No |
| Syntax Highlighting | Yes | Yes |
| Auto Indentation | Yes | Yes |
| Compiler integration | Yes, with plug-in support. | No |
| Multiline regex support | No | Yes |
| Right to Left and bidirectional support | No | Yes, through the terminal support. |
Pros and Cons of Using Atom and VScode
Because of the feature differences, there are some pros and cons of the text editors Atom and VScode. Let’s check the following pros and cons:
| Text Editor | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Atom |
|
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| VSCode |
|
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Conclusion
In this article, I have discussed the differences in user experience, design, performance, configuration, and community support between the two code editors Atom and VScode. I hope this will provide you with an overview of the differences between the text editors and make it easy to choose the suitable one for your system.
People Also Ask
Is Atom better than VS Code?
The betterment comparison of Atom and VSCode depends on user preferences and needs. Both text editors have their strengths and shortcomings. But VSCode offers more extensive features and better performance than Atom. For that reason, you can say that VSCode is better than Atom if your device specification supports it.
Is Visual Studio Code based on Atom?
No, Visual Studio Code is not exactly based on Atom. Both of the code editors use a similar technology called Electron shell. But VSCode shows some extra extensive features that have not been found in Atom.
Why should I use Atom?
You might prefer Atom if you want to write codes using different languages like HTML, Javascript, PHP, CSS, TypeScript, Python, etc. Additionally, it provides syntax highlighting, and code completion which enhances the experience of coding.
Is VScode owned by Github?
No, VScode is owned by Microsoft. However, Github which is owned by Microsoft, contributes to the development of VScode.
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