Unfashionably still an Atom editor fan
Tags: applications, coding, usefulstuff, atomeditor
Published: 2018-11-03 16:53:15

---
title: Unfashionably still an Atom editor fan
published: true
tags: Applications,Coding,Useful stuff,atom editor
canonical_url: https://pauljacobson.me/2018/11/03/unfashionably-still-an-atom-editor-fan/
---

I’ve loved the idea of [the Atom editor](https://atom.io/) since I saw [the initial announcement video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7aEiVwBAdk) three years ago:

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I used it on and off as a text editor since it was released. Sure, it was sluggish, but I didn’t think too much of it. I used Atom for a text-based productivity system a couple years ago, when I couldn’t find a cross-platform task management system I liked. At some point, I decided to try something a little more responsive, and lightweight.

All the cool kids seem to be using Visual Studio Code, and they love it. There’s certainly a lot to like about Microsoft’s (mostly) open source code editor. It’s lightweight, extensible through a range of really good extensions, it’s cross-platform, and free.

![](https://i0.wp.com/pauljacobson.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/test_py.gif?w=1100&ssl=1)

I used it for a while, and enjoyed it. As a newbie coder, it gives me a _lot_ of feedback as I poke around at my coding projects. This can be really helpful, for sure. That’s probably one of the reasons I used VS Code for as long as I did (and why I still have it installed on my laptop). Of course, another reason why I used it is that a number of developers I follow have raved about it.

I initially moved off VS Code, and returned to Atom earlier this year when I started using a more powerful MacBook Pro, and felt drawn back to Atom for some reason. Part of the reason was that [a Markdown extension I relied on in VS Code stopped working for me](https://github.com/neilsustc/vscode-markdown/issues/200) (at least when I used it in conjunction with Alfred.app that I use heavily for my work).

When I came back to Atom, I noticed how well some of the packages I installed seemed to fit into how I worked. The [Markdown Writer package](https://atom.io/packages/markdown-writer), for one, has become one of my favourite packages, just because it makes it easier for me to write in Markdown.

There was certainly a point where [I was concerned about Atom’s ongoing development](https://discuss.atom.io/t/if-little-bugs-arent-fixed-in-atom-does-this-editor-have-a-future/55915), and how seemingly simple issues didn’t appear to be addressed. I received some good feedback on this, and moved on.

One of my colleagues recommended [Sublime Text](https://www.sublimetext.com/), so I spent some time testing it out. I love how quickly it starts up, how similar it is to Atom (well, more the other way round). At the same time, I’m not sure I can justify paying the cost for Sublime Text because Atom does want I want to do, with less of the fiddling I need to do to Sublime Text to configure it for how I like to work (mostly keybindings, and Markdown support).

It’s not that Sublime Text isn’t worth the $80 license fee, it really is (and I agree with paying for good quality software). Even though it took me a few weeks to configure it to work pretty well for me, there are little features that I absolutely love. One little one that I discovered is how it automatically closes HTML tags when I start typing closing tags. These little things are awesome, and bring a little more joy to my day.

![](https://i1.wp.com/pauljacobson.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/sublime_text_html_tag_close.gif?w=1100&ssl=1)

In the meantime, Atom has been improving with each release. Sure, it doesn’t have all the tips and feedback that VS Code, and it loads a little slower (although not as much as it used to). I don’t mind that as much actually. I stick with Atom because it works for me.

It fits into how I write Markdown, works well enough for me when I switch over to CSS, HTML, Python, shell scripts, JavaScript, and so on. On those occasions when I need extra help, I may dip back into VS Code, or give Sublime Text another go.

I’m also just figuring out how to “hack” this “hackable text editor for the 21st Century”, and I really enjoy this sort of freedom with my text editor. There’s still so much I can learn about how to use my editor more effectively. Another colleague pointed out a really cool Emmet feature that just blew my mind.

So, in a time when everyone seems to be flocking to VS Code, I thought I’d add my vote for Atom. I’m still a fan, thanks GitHub!

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