Andrew Lock explores whether the Zed editor on Windows can replace VS Code for .NET and Markdown editing, sharing his installation experience, setup tips, feature comparisons, and impressions.

Trying out the Zed editor on Windows for .NET and Markdown

Andrew Lock dives into his experience with the Zed editor on Windows, exploring whether it could serve as a viable replacement for VS Code in his workflow, particularly for editing .NET projects and Markdown documents.

Why Consider an Alternative to VS Code?

Andrew shares his motivations for trying a new editor despite already using JetBrains Rider, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio Code. Over time, VS Code has felt less snappy and introduced features he doesn’t need, such as the creation of .sln files and a heavier extension footprint, especially for quick .NET edits and Markdown writing.

Evaluating Zed

Zed caught his eye after hearing it discussed on podcasts and from a colleague’s recommendation, especially after the Windows release. Zed’s highlights include:

  • Built in Rust for speed
  • Recent addition of Windows support
  • Support for keymap customization and import
  • Emphasis on collaboration and some AI integrations (which can be disabled)

Installation and Setup

Andrew walks through downloading Zed for Windows and customizing it using familiar settings from VS Code. He outlines the onboarding process, including keymap import and UI adjustments, making the transition more approachable for VS Code users.

Working with .NET in Zed

Zed supports extensions much like VS Code. Adding C# support required installing the OmniSharp language server via extension. This enabled basic syntax highlighting and refactoring for C#, mirroring the experience in VS Code before the C# Dev Kit. He notes the absence of Razor/cshtml support as a limitation, attributed to OmniSharp, but not critical for his needs.

Markdown Editing in Zed

Zed offers built-in Markdown support, with syntax highlighting and preview. However, it lacks several popular features provided by VS Code extensions, such as robust shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl+B for bold), code folding, internal link IntelliSense, and smooth preview synchronization. The intrusive suggestion popups while typing Markdown were particularly disruptive for Andrew.

Performance Impressions

Andrew found Zed impressively fast and responsive, significantly outperforming VS Code in startup times, tab switching, and typing latency. He appreciated the care in Zed’s design and the smooth onboarding.

Customizing UI and Shortcuts

Shortcuts and UI can be customized with settings similar to VS Code, although some shortcuts may not port automatically, requiring manual tweaking. Andrew provides examples of how he mapped commonly used VS Code shortcuts to Zed.

AI Features

Although Zed has AI capabilities (a current trend among editors), Andrew values that AI can be completely disabled via settings, keeping his editing experience distraction-free.

Conclusion

While Zed is a compelling editor with impressive speed and thoughtful onboarding, Andrew finds its Markdown feature set lacking compared to VS Code. For now, he returns to VS Code, but he is optimistic Zed could become a mainstay if more features are added.

Key Takeaways

  • Zed is a strong, fast code editor with great VS Code compatibility.
  • .NET (C#) editing is robust, aside from Razor/cshtml support.
  • Markdown editing misses key features found in VS Code extensions.
  • Most limitations are addressable and may be fixed in future Zed updates.

Written by Andrew Lock, .Net Escapades

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