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VS Code VS Thunar

Compare VS Code VS Thunar and see what are their differences

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VS Code logo VS Code

Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Thunar logo Thunar

Thunar is a modern file manager for the Xfce Desktop Environment.
  • VS Code Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-10-09
  • Thunar Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-25

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.

Thunar features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Thunar is a file manager designed to be fast and low on system resource usage, making it suitable for older hardware or systems with limited resources.
  • Simple Interface
    Thunar offers a clean and straightforward user interface, which makes it easy for users to navigate and manage files without a steep learning curve.
  • Extensible
    Thunar supports plugins, allowing users to extend its functionality with additional features like bulk renaming or adding custom actions.
  • Integration with Xfce
    Thunar is the default file manager for the Xfce desktop environment, ensuring tight integration and consistent behavior across the desktop.
  • Custom Actions
    Users can configure custom actions that appear in the context menu, providing a level of personalization and flexibility in daily file management tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Thunar

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to other file managers, Thunar lacks some advanced features like integrated terminal panels or advanced search capabilities.
  • Slower Development
    Thunar's development cycle can be slower compared to other file managers, which might result in delays in new features and bug fixes.
  • Less Customizable
    While Thunar does offer some level of customization, it is not as customizable as some other file managers that allow more extensive interface and functionality tweaks.
  • Dependent on Xfce Components
    Thunar relies on various Xfce components, which might lead to dependencies that are less desirable if you are not using Xfce as your desktop environment.
  • Limited Network Browsing
    Thunarโ€™s capabilities for network browsing and managing remote files are not as robust as some other file managers, which may be a limitation for certain users.

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

Thunar videos

Showing Thunar file browsers preferences

More videos:

  • Review - Comparing File Managers - Nautilus Versus Thunar Versus Nemo
  • Review - Add Custom Actions to Thunar File Manager

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to VS Code and Thunar)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
FTP Client
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
File Manager
0 0%
100% 100

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 Thunar

VS Code Reviews

  1. dksinden
    ยท Working at SpeechKit ยท

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. Youโ€™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

Thunar Reviews

We have no reviews of Thunar yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, VS Code seems to be a lot more popular than Thunar. While we know about 1215 links to VS Code, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Thunar. 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 (1215)

  • History of JavaScript: Browser wars, ECMAScript, Node.js, TypeScript, and React
    Visual Studio Code, a code editor created by Microsoft, was first introduced on April 29, 2015, at the Build conference. - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
  • How to Get Your First Tool Online
    The step up from there is an editor with a built-in agent like Cursor, Google Antigravity, Windsurf, or VS Code with a coding extension. These are code editors with an AI agent living inside them, and the difference is the responsible party for getting things from place to place. Instead of the software creator shuttling code between windows, the AI agent edits the project files directly and runs the GitHub and... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Agentic Engineering: What Does AI Coding Really Cost?
    For IDE-heavy teams, BYOK (bring your own key) can be interesting, no matter whether you live in WebStorm or VS Code. On the JetBrains side, the JetBrains AI plans and Junie BYOK docs allow it, and most VS Code AI extensions offer the same idea: keep the IDE, connect provider keys, pay the provider. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Best Markdown Editors for Developers
    Option 1: Raw editing in IDE. You open the .md file in VS Code or whatever you use. Syntax highlighting shows you the structure. Maybe you toggle a preview pane. This works for quick edits but becomes painful for anything involving tables, diagrams, or complex formatting. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Document Generation for Developers: Security, Compliance, and Build-vs-Buy Decisions for the Template-Plus-Data Pipeline
    You'll need Python 3.8+ and pip for the quickstart, with venv recommended for isolation. Install the requests library for HTTP calls. VS Code with the Python extension works well as an editor, though PyCharm or Sublime Text work equally well. You'll also need a free Foxit developer account. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
View more

Thunar mentions (4)

What are some alternatives?

When comparing VS Code and Thunar, 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.

Midnight Commander - GNU Midnight Commander is a visual file manager, licensed under GNU General Public License and...

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

Double Commander - Double Commander is a cross-platform open source file manager with two panels side by side.

Node.js - Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

Nemo - Nemo is the official file manager for the ...