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VS Code VS Prezto

Compare VS Code VS Prezto and see what are their differences

VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Prezto logo Prezto

Prezto is the configuration framework for Zsh; it enriches the command line interface environment...
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Prezto Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-02

VS Code features and specs

  • Cross-platform
    VS Code works on Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent development experience across different operating systems.
  • Extensibility
    A vast library of extensions allows users to add functionalities like debuggers, linters, and themes, making it highly customizable.
  • Integrated Git
    Built-in Git integration makes it easy to manage version control tasks directly within the editor.
  • Performance
    Lightweight compared to full-fledged IDEs, ensuring good performance even on systems with limited resources.
  • IntelliSense
    Advanced code completion and refactoring tools help improve coding efficiency and reduce errors.
  • Community Support
    A strong and active community provides extensive support, tutorials, and third-party extensions.
  • Debugging
    Robust debugging tools for various languages and frameworks are available out of the box.
  • Free and Open-Source
    VS Code is completely free to use and open-source, which is beneficial for both individual developers and organizations.

Possible disadvantages of VS Code

  • Limited IDE Features
    While extensible, it may lack some advanced features found in dedicated IDEs out of the box.
  • Extension Management
    Managing and configuring a large number of extensions can become cumbersome and sometimes lead to performance issues.
  • Learning Curve
    Although user-friendly, it has a steeper learning curve for beginners due to its numerous features and customization options.
  • Memory Usage
    Despite being lightweight, it can consume a significant amount of memory when multiple extensions are installed.
  • Update Frequency
    Frequent updates may sometimes introduce bugs or require users to adapt to new changes quickly.
  • Internet Dependency
    Some features and extensions may require an internet connection to function optimally.
  • Telemetry
    By default, VS Code collects usage data, which might be a concern for users sensitive about data privacy. However, this can be disabled.

Prezto features and specs

  • Improved Performance
    Prezto is designed to be faster than other Zsh configuration frameworks, providing improved performance through its efficient configuration files and caching mechanisms.
  • Modular Design
    Prezto's modular architecture allows users to enable or disable specific parts of the configuration, making it flexible and adaptable to various needs.
  • Extensive Theme and Plugin Support
    Prezto comes with a variety of themes and plugins, allowing users to customize their shell environment extensively and enhance their workflow.
  • Active Community and Contributions
    With an active community and numerous contributors, Prezto offers regular updates, bug fixes, and a robust support network.

Possible disadvantages of Prezto

  • Complex Setup
    For beginners, setting up Prezto can be complex and overwhelming due to its modular nature and extensive configuration options.
  • Learning Curve
    Users new to Zsh may face a steep learning curve to understand and effectively utilize all the features and customizations offered by Prezto.
  • Overhead for Simple Needs
    For those with simple needs, Prezto might be overkill and introduce unnecessary complexity compared to using a minimal configuration.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Prezto might have compatibility issues with some lesser-known plugins or custom scripts, requiring additional tweaks to integrate smoothly.

Analysis of VS Code

Overall verdict

  • Yes, VS Code is generally considered a good choice for developers due to its flexibility, efficiency, and strong community support. It is lightweight, fast, and user-friendly, catering to both novice and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • VS Code, developed by Microsoft, is a widely popular and versatile code editor. It offers a robust extension ecosystem, which allows developers to customize their workflow and coding environment extensively. Additionally, VS Code supports numerous programming languages right out of the box and provides features like IntelliSense, debugging, Git integration, and a built-in terminal, making it a powerful tool for developers.

Recommended for

  • Web developers looking for a comprehensive yet lightweight coding environment.
  • Software developers who need an editor with extensive language support and customization options.
  • Beginner programmers who would benefit from a feature-rich editor that can grow with their skills.
  • Developers interested in an open-source tool with continuous updates and community-driven enhancements.

VS Code videos

My New Favorite Text Editor - Visual Studio Code

More videos:

  • Review - 7 reasons why I switched to Visual Studio Code from Sublime Text

Prezto videos

Prezto: Try out new apps and win prizes!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Prezto)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Programming
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
96 96%
4% 4

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare VS Code and Prezto

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    · Working at SpeechKit ·

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
Visual Studio Code, commonly known as VS Code, is a powerful and extensible code editor developed by Microsoft. With its rich ecosystem of extensions and features like IntelliSense, debugging, and Git integration, VS Code enhances your coding productivity.
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
Finally, the Visual Studio Code website has numerous tabs for you to learn about the software. The documentation page walks you through steps like the setup and working with different languages. You’re also able to check out some tips and tricks and learn all of the Visual Studio Code keyboard shortcuts. Along with a blog, updates page, extensions library and API...
Source: kinsta.com
Jupyter Notebook & 10 Alternatives: Data Notebook Review [2023]
Previously, VS Code was more suited to developers or engineers due to its lack of data analysis capabilities, but since 2020, the VS Code team has collaborated with the Jupyter team to create an integrated notebook within VS Code. The end result is a fantastic IDE workbook for data analysis.
Source: lakefs.io
The Best IDEs for Java Development: A Comparative Analysis
Overview: Although not a traditional IDE, VS Code has gained popularity as a lightweight code editor.
Source: dev.to
20 Best Diff Tools to Compare File Contents on Linux
Visual studio code is a code editor made by Microsoft. It supports several development operations like debugging, task running, and version control. It works on Linux, macOS and Windows operating systems.
Source: linuxopsys.com

Prezto Reviews

We have no reviews of Prezto yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Prezto. While we know about 1146 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 21 mentions of Prezto. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

VS Code mentions (1146)

  • What Are the Best Code Editors for Collaborative Coding?
    Visual Studio Code is a highly popular, lightweight, and versatile code editor. Its Live Share extension transforms it into a powerful collaborative tool. With Live Share, developers can co-edit and co-debug codes in real-time, making it easier to handle complex projects together. It offers:. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Before the Code: Why I Chose Web Development and How I Got Started
    Built-in terminal (you’ll love this later) Download it here. - Source: dev.to / 7 days ago
  • #The Chronicles of Sam: 10,000 Hours to Say “Hi” Automatically 💬
    Somewhere between enabling CORS and accidentally enabling IAM authentication, Sam backed out slowly and did what all developers eventually do when faced with AWS UI: They closed the tab and opened [VSCode 🖥️].(https://code.visualstudio.com/). - Source: dev.to / 12 days ago
  • Build Python Docker Development Environment on Win11 from Scratch
    Download VSCode through the following URL Https://code.visualstudio.com/. - Source: dev.to / 19 days ago
  • How to Handle File Uploads with Node.js and Express - Multer Edition
    A text editor or lightweight IDE such as Visual Studio Code. - Source: dev.to / 19 days ago
View more

Prezto mentions (21)

  • Carapace: A multi-shell completion library and binary
    Beyond zprof (https://www.bigbinary.com/blog/zsh-profiling) not really I'm afraid. I did the majority of my zsh-prompt hacking 10 years ago and haven't thought about it since. That snippet could be from anywhere. You could peek at something like zprezto https://github.com/sorin-ionescu/prezto for tips. Fetching git/hg/... Info is always slow, so try and speed that up where you can (as to how to do that,... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • I think Linux might be the superior platform for gaming at this point.
    Is the command line really so scary? I enjoy using it from time-to-time (usually not for gaming related reasons) and I like things like Prezto to make it look pretty. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Best terminal app for MacOs
    I switched from Oh My Zsh to Prezto years ago. OMZ at the time was excruciatingly slow, but that may have changed. Maybe I should take another look at it, but Prezto has been great. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I was frustrated with the way Windows handles Hebrew on Latin keyboards, so I wrote an open-source IME for Hebrew to make it easier! You download it, type in the phonetics, and it gives you the Hebrew.
    I installed iTerm2 and zsh shell with Prezto and I love my command line on OSX I use homebrew to install any tools that are missing and use pyenv to manage my python version (which I also do on Linux) that and the clang/gcc from the OSX command line tools and I pretty much have a full Un*x shell for anything I need to do. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Reasons to change the default terminal to Warp
    Moreover, there are tools were made on top of those to provide more functionalities, and fill some of the gaps, for instance, oh-my-zsh, Prezto, oh-my-fish, and much more. However, the default embedded terminal in macOS is still lacking something. That's why iTerm and other terminal like Hyper. It provides you a set of customization to boost your productivity. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Prezto, you can also consider the following products

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Oh My Zsh - A delightful community-driven framework for managing your zsh configuration.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

zgen - A lightweight plugin manager for Zsh inspired by Antigen. Keep your .zshrc clean and simple.

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Antigen - The plugin manager for zsh.