From TextMate to Visual Studio Code

For the right type of software developer, a text editor is a rich, deep, even meaningful relationship. And, yes, I know there are programmers for whom this doesn’t matter but I’m that first type. As of early 2023, I’m still using TextMate which I’ve now been using longer than my youngest son has been alive (he’s 16 now).

And, yet, I mildly loathe TextMate – I know it intimately – but the developer made a critical business error about 2 decades ago that has plagued him ever since. TextMate works pretty well but it feels abandonware and it has lost that vitality that makes a product feel alive.

What Features of TextMate Do I actually Use

Here are the features of TextMate that I regularly use:

1. Cross File Search
2. Ability to run from the editor from the command line
3. Ability to switch between files easily with the COMMAND+T file switcher
4. Ability to run multiple projects at once by opening the current directory
5. Plugin for generating database migrations.
6. Very rarely: rectangular text selection