Of course, since I originally wrote this, I’ve completely moved over to VS Code for three basic reasons. First, over the last two years it has improved to the point that it’s way better than anything JetBrains can offer. WebStorm had better tab management, and local history. VSC tab management is as good, and any other features can be added via extensions.

Second, WebStorm/IntelliJ is java based, while VS code is based on Chromium. While Chrome can be a resource hog, especially on the Mac, but it still outperforms the JDK. For example, I still need to use Android Studio occasionally, and like other members of the IntelliJ family, it beachballs like crazy. Finally, VSC’s has more and better extensions. In contrast, the JetBrains ecosystem has atrophied. Even if you can find what you want, most of the time it won’t work and is basically abandonware.

So I used to pay the JetBrains tax, but no longer. While I can’t entirely avoid Android Studio, I haven’t installed it on any new machines, and removed it from old ones. Also, never got into Atom. In theory, they both are Electron based, but Atom leaves me cold. I’ve even managed to get used to the wired way VSC handles preferences.