Transitioning from VS Code to Helix: A Developer's Experience with Modal Text Editors
By
todsacerdoti
7mo ago· 14 min readenInsight
100/100
Golden Brown
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Sesame, salt, and substance. A flagship bake.
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Summary
The article details the author's transition from VS Code to Helix, a modal text editor, driven by a desire to reduce reliance on Big Tech. Initially hesitant due to Helix's perceived complexity and fringe status, the author discovers that with better documentation and persistence, Helix offers powerful features for Markdown and Astro development. The piece explores the learning curve, automation benefits, and whether the switch is worthwhile for developers seeking alternatives to mainstream tools.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledI want less Big Tech in my life. After years of dismissing Helix as too fringe and complicated, I've tried (and loved) it.
Using VS Code was a no-brainer: everyone in the industry seems to at least be familiar with it, every project can be opened with it, and most projects can get enhancements and syntactic helpers in a few clicks.
Automation is a double-edged sword
Is it worth it?
I want less Big Tech in my life. After years of dismissing Helix as too fringe and complicated, I've tried (and loved) it.
