Neovim + tmux vs VIM on VS code. Which one is better in 2023?
As a front-end developer, I’ve been using VS Code for around 6+ years. I spent the last 8 months learning VIM and around 2 months back I shifted completely to a tmux + Neovim setup from using VIM on VS code.
This has been my experience so far -
So which setup is better?
neovim + tmux is much faster and more enjoyable than using VIM on VS code. Before I explain why, let’s compare how much time I saved by doing this switch.
Running the code on VS code
My workflow involves ssh-ing into a virtual machine, routing to my project in the mono repo, and opening a few terminals to run some commands to get the project running on my localhost:3000.
Opening VS code → connecting to my machine → reaching my project in Monorepo, opening two terminals
And it took a total of 4+ mins to get the code running, as VS code also started running its own extensions and slowed the entire process down.
Running the code on tmux + neovim
ssh into my machine → route to my desired project → open 2 terminals
Plus it took a total of 1min and 20 seconds to get the code up and running at localhost:3000.
This is because I use tmuifier, which opens up my desired project with 2 terminals at the bottom in just a single command.
This task has to be done a few times a day. So you can see how much time I get to save even before I touched a single line of code.
Why is tmux + neovim superior to VIM on VS code?
VS code is an IDE designed to be used by millions of developers. It can be personalized using the millions of plugins it has. But using tmux + neovim feels like working on a custom IDE that I created for myself. It has all the plugins I need and is extremely lightweight which makes it much faster.
The VIM extension on VS code is a fantastic place to start your VIM journey. I recommend everyone who wants to learn VIM start out by using a VIM extension in their desired IDE. But do remember, VIM on VS code is nerfed. It cannot run normal mode commands, you don’t get awesome plugins like Telescope, and no LPS, plus it’s laggy due to the massive size of VS code.
To experience the true power of VIM, you just need a terminal. For me, tmux + neovim opened up so many optimizations that VS code just couldn’t. Plus I learn new ways of doing a task almost every day.
Goodbye VS code
Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly loved VS code. It is a fantastic IDE, I mean I used it for around 6 years. It’s a great product and will always be the choice for millions of developers now and even in the future. But for me, this is where the VS code road ends. So goodbye VS, and thank you!