There are quite a few things! VSCode's direction (I am making my own assumptions from the learnings I have)
- VSCode is working on the working set direction of making multi-file edits work
- Their idea of bringing in other extension is via the provider API which only copilot has access to (so you can't use them if you are not a copilot subscriber)
So just taking these things for face value, I think there is lots to innovate.
No editor (bias view of mine) has really captured the idea of a pair programmer working alongside you. Even now the most beloved feature is copilot or cursor tab with the inline completions.
So we are ways further from a saturated market or even a feature set level saturation. Until we get there, I do think forks have a way to work towards their own version of an ideal AI native editor, I do think the editors of the future will look different given the upwards trend of AI abilities.
> No editor (bias view of mine) has really captured the idea of a pair programmer working alongside you.
I had this feeling for the first time with Cline. It adjusted the code, accessed the terminal, rebuilt the image, ran the container, saw an error, suggested new edits, ran again... All while only asking for a few confirmations. And it's very verbose: it tells you with details what it's doing every step of the way.
But I migrated to the new Copilot a few days ago because I was easily spending $5 in a day.
So just taking these things for face value, I think there is lots to innovate. No editor (bias view of mine) has really captured the idea of a pair programmer working alongside you. Even now the most beloved feature is copilot or cursor tab with the inline completions.
So we are ways further from a saturated market or even a feature set level saturation. Until we get there, I do think forks have a way to work towards their own version of an ideal AI native editor, I do think the editors of the future will look different given the upwards trend of AI abilities.