[utilize1808]

How many developers are using VSCode? How does that number compare with Emacs/Vim?

In many ways, GUI was developed as the natural evolution of TUI. X server, with its client-server architecture, is meant to allow you to interact with remote sessions via "casted" GUI rather than a terminal.

Countless engineers spent many man-hours to develop theories and frameworks for creating GUI for a reason.

TUI just got the nostalgia "coolness".

[coldtea]

>How many developers are using VSCode? How does that number compare with Emacs/Vim?

How many people eat microwave meals? How many eat gourmet Michelin star dishes?

I don't care "how many use VSCode". My argument Emacs/Vim have great, well loved TUIs. And they are used by a huge number of the most respected coders in the industry. Whether a million React jockeys use VSCode doesn't negate this.

>Countless engineers spent many man-hours to develop theories and frameworks for creating GUI for a reason.

Yes, it sells to the masses. Countless food industry scientists aspend many man-hours to develop detrimental ultra-processed crap for a reason too.

[9dev]

The analogy mostly makes a point for snobbishness, but otherwise doesn’t really work. Most people would rather eat meals prepped by a Michelin star cook, but they can only afford microwave meals - whereas EMacs/Vim and VSCode are equally accessible to anyone.

[coldtea]

>Most people would rather eat meals prepped by a Michelin star cook,

You'd be surprised. Most people can't eat anything adventurous or out of the junk-food category with some comfort food staples thrown in.

[brabel]

I love emacs but would never compare that with a Michelin meal! On the contrary, emacs is the DIY option that lets you experiment with whatever ingredients you please without judging your choices!

[californical]

I think their point was about “most popular” not necessarily meaning “better”. I don’t think they meant anything more by it

[troupo]

> My argument Emacs/Vim have great, well loved TUIs.

They... are not great. They provide the absolute bare minimum of an UI.

An UI, even a terminal one, is more than a couple of boxes with text in them. Unfortunately, actual great TUIs more or less died in the 1990s. You can google Turbo Vision for examples.

[Pay08]

The vast majority of people don't use the Emacs TUI and it is explicitly recommended to use the GUI.

[jazzyb]

> How many developers are using VSCode? How does that number compare with Emacs/Vim?

Perhaps I'm in some sort of "TUI bubble", but I'd bet good money that Emacs/Vim users outnumber VSCode users by an order of magnitude. But maybe I'm just surrounded by *nix devs.

[chrisweekly]

I'll take that bet

[9dev]

No need to guess, the SO survey is probably still representative of the state of development environments:

https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2025/technology#1-dev-id-es

Note that respondents may use multiple tools, but around 76% answered VSCode, whereas 24% answered Vim.

So, I’d wager you’re indeed in a *nix bubble.

[einpoklum]

The SO survey was skewed to begin with, and by 2025 it covers a much reduced fraction of past users. See:

https://meta.stackoverflow.com/q/437921/1593077

Not that your conclusion is necessarily wrong of course.

[jazzyb]

That is so different than I expected. Thank you for the link.

[coldtea]

It's more indicative of the state of SO users.

Care to bet even those 24% vim devs code circles around the VSCode ones?

[JCattheATM]

That's no sure thing - plenty of vim users are new or not particularly knowledgeable, they just chose their village' for various reasons.

[troupo]

> but I'd bet good money that Emacs/Vim users outnumber VSCode users by an order of magnitude

No, no they don't. Enterprise and gaming alone would easily invalidate your bet.

[dwb]

I agree except about the TUI coolness factor. There really is a lot that’s appealing about TUIs, I agree on that with the other commenters here. I want a better synthesis than what we have.

[Brian_K_White]

Buddy, I am here to inform you that you are projecting.